


Untamed Potential

by creationofclay



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternative Universe - FBI, M/M, POV Derek, POV Stiles, Past Stiles/Jackson, Professor Derek, Serial Killers, Student Stiles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-21
Updated: 2014-04-18
Packaged: 2018-01-16 12:04:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 36,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1346800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creationofclay/pseuds/creationofclay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s Stiles second year at UCLA and he still can’t decide what to major in, he prefers to concentrate on his hot new professor Derek, that Derek also gets involved as a consultant for the FBI when the ‘Virgin Killer’ strikes again, doesn’t make his life any easier. Not that he should concentrate on Derek when the ‘Virgin Killer’ shows his obvious fixation on Stiles.</p><p>Derek is happy that uni starts again, teaching gives his life a certain structure he missed over the summer, and no he won’t admit that he might have felt lonely. The newest case he is consulting on seems interesting enough until he realizes that one of his most brilliant students is involved, and he has to face the fact that spending time with Stiles is more dangerous than hunting down a killer could ever be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

\---Derek’s POV---

The summer had been boring, and no he won’t say that out loud, Laura thinks his life is too dull anyway if he starts now with also telling her that he missed teaching she will start setting him up on blind dates again. Not that he didn’t have enough work, he spent almost a month in New Orleans working on a very interesting if disturbing murder case. But still he missed the routine his lectures bring to his life and being back in LA is good, he missed his city.

He looks stern at the class in front of him, it’s the first lecture of the semester and they have to know from the start that they have to keep up if they don’t want to fail his class.  
It got quiet as soon as he entered, just being a professor for one year has given him a reputation for being a hard-ass, on the inside he smiles.

“Welcome to Forensic Psychology, I will now read your names and you just raise your hand if you are called.”

He has almost fifty people in his course, but he has his ways, he knows that he will only have half as much by this time next week, they all seem unimposing to him, Abbott Charlie raises her hand in confidence, Isaac Lahey seems eager, and what the hell is this name, “Stilinski, Stiles if I am reading correct.” A scrawny not unattractive young man raises his hand and grins at him obviously not in the least bit threatened by his mean demeanour, “Yes that’s right, everyone calls me Stiles, and the dean agreed that it would just be easier for everyone to have it written down like that.”

Derek raises an eyebrow at the talkative boy, who doesn’t seem to be faced by it in the least. Derek, “So what exactly is your first name?”

Stiles, “I don’t think we know each other well enough for that yet.”

A few of his students giggle, Isaac who sits next to Stiles seems embarrassed.

Derek already learnt in his short career as a professor that there always is a loudmouth in every class; he has his methods to get them put to order. Not that the fact that Stiles seems to be on good terms with the dean couldn’t become problematic.

Derek continues reading the names, and has to hold himself back from an annoyed sigh when he reads the name Jackson Whittmore, what did that kid do in his class, he was the Lacrosse star, who every professor knew didn’t do any studying himself.

Derek, “Good so now that we finished this, let me start with telling you that you all can still drop out without getting a negative grade, if you don’t show up next week I will just delete you from my list, because if you decide to stay I should warn you that I demand very much from my students, that you can’t just scrap by here, that forty per cent fail this course and only three per cent get an A.”

Stiles hand shoots in the air and Isaac who seems to be his friend whispers something to him. Stiles shakes his head and vigorously waves his hand.

And Derek already remembers their names it normally takes him longer than ten minutes to do that.

Derek, “What is it, Mr Stilinski?”

Stiles, “Ah you can call me Stiles, it’s just, don’t you think that is pretty demotivating? And shouldn’t you also mention that your past students say that your course is the most interesting they have ever been to even if it was hard work?”

Great Stiles just nullified his attempt to reduce the number of his students.

Derek, “Well, I didn’t know that they said that, but thank you for the information, now to carry on, I might not make every of our lessons, because I am also working for the police but don’t think that you will have less work to do when I am not here I will email you exercises for lessons I’ll miss.”

He starts his PowerPoint now, it’s one of his driest but after Stiles’s little speech Derek isn’t very hopeful that it will get rid of too many students.

“To start, my name as you already know is Derek Hale, I have a doctor in forensic psychology and a master in criminology and one in criminalistic science. Besides my work for the university I am also a consultant for the police for crimes that fit a certain serial or ritualistic profile.”

Stiles hand is in the air again, Derek can already feel his annoyance building.

Derek, “What, Stiles?”

Stiles grins at him as he uses his name, oh that kid!

“How did you do all that I mean I know that you finished high-school with sixteen, but you are only twenty-eight, how could you study three different subjects and have a career at the police and at university?”

Derek looks at Stiles a bit baffled, “How do you know…?”

Stiles interrupts him with a wave of his overly eager hand, “Google! I am a bit of a research buff.”

Isaac groans next to him and Derek has no idea how to feel about this.  
Derek, “I dedicated all my time to studying and working if you do that too you can have the same career as me.”

Derek doesn’t really believe that, yes after his family died he didn’t do anything besides working and studying anymore but he has also always been very talented he doesn’t believe that the kids in this room have what it takes and hopefully they don’t have the hurt and anger that fuelled most of Derek’s career.

Stiles, “So don’t you have any fun?”

Oh my god this kid!

Derek, “That is enough of that, now let’s start with something serious, so who can tell me how you define forensic psychology?”

Almost ten people in the room raise their hands, Stiles is one of them, Derek points to a dark haired girl in the back, “The use of psychology in context with legal institution and the law.”

Derek nods, not too bad he heard worse, “Yes, that’s right you can also define it a bit broader, when we don’t just talk about the direct use of psychology but also how established research and experiments can impact the legal system, for example witness testimonies, we will hear about that later on. So does anyone know how to define criminology?”

This time only five people raise their hand, Stiles is again one of them, Derek nods to a self-confident boy in the second row, “The study of crime.”

Derek nods, they are not too stupid this year, “And the study of criminals, good and who can tell me what criminalistics stands for?”

His students look at each other in confusion one of them just blurts, “But isn’t that the same?”

Okay they are still as stupid as always, “I just told you that I have a Masters in both what did you think that I studied the same thing twice?”

He really doesn’t have the patience for morons, he just wants to tell them the definition when Stiles raises his hand smiling at him, okay let’s see what the kid’s got, he gestures Stiles to speak.

Stiles, “Criminalistics, related to forensic science, refers to the collection and analysis of physical evidence in criminal cases, these can include blood, fingerprints, fibres also everything to do with ballistics. Fingerprint testing has actually a very interesting history, Francis Galton was the first …”

Derek interrupts him, he will only admit to himself that he is impressed, “Okay I think that’s enough for today, you are right that is the correct definition of it. Good so now to your homework.”

He can see some of them moan, he has to hide his grin, because being delighted in his students misery isn’t very professional.

“You will write me a one page essay on how this course is connected to your academic studies, and don’t let yourself be fooled by its length, in the end I want to be convinced that you really need to be in this course and if you are studying law you will have to do better than to just tell me how it would help you to understand certain cases.”

He hears a moan from Isaac and a few others, well he always knows who the law students are, Stiles chuckles slightly next to his friend, and since they are seated in the first row, Derek can hear it when Isaac murmurs to Stiles, “You don’t laugh! How the hell will you write this essay when you still haven’t chosen a major?”

The bell rings and his students get their stuff and leave his class room, Stiles gives him a smile as he leaves.

What a weird kid, and that his probably brightest student seems to be an indecisive loudmouth won’t make this semester any easier. Derek packs his stuff and smiles, it’s good to be back.

\---Stiles’s POV---

“Oh, my god! He is so hot!”, Stiles tells his best friend Scott during lunch. Since they only have one course together, and Stiles takes biology just for fun, they always try to have lunch together. Because living together is not enough no matter what his father says. 

They live in a nice a bit run down three-bedroom flat with Isaac.

Isaac groans next to Stiles, he has three courses with Isaac, but he doesn’t think that law really is his thing, even if it is interesting, he prefers psychology, but he isn’t fully convinced of that yet either. And English Literature is also fun.

Scott, “And having a hot professor is a good thing?”

Stiles roles his eyes “My lovely best friend, naturally it is a good thing! And it’s not as if I will overstrain myself in his course, I learnt almost all of it already through talking with my father about cases and helping out the last three summers at the sheriffs office.”

Isaac, “I still think it’s a bit weird that they let you be around when working on cases.”

Stiles, “It’s not that they let me be around per se, they just gave up telling me to go. Anyway that’s so not the issue here, you have to see him he is like … I can’t even describe it he is perfect.”

Isaac, “He scowled the whole time, he didn’t smile once, come on you can’t really be into a guy like that.”

Scott, “Reminds me a bit of Jackson.”

Stiles frowns in disgust, “Iih don’t mention him! And no Derek is not like that asshole and don’t talk about that disaster again, he is even in our Forensic Psychology course, as if he is interested in stuff like that!”

Scott looks at his friend in worry, “Sorry I didn’t mean to get into something here, you are over him aren’t you?”

Stiles gets really annoyed now, his mood was so good just moments ago and then Scott has to start this whole Jackson discussion again. They made out, very drunk after their last winter ball, and that started Stiles sexual identity crisis and a more disastrous relationship between him and Jackson than before. Scott only knows of that one time, his horror was enough for Stiles to hide their subsequent make-out sessions from him. It has been over since they started university a year ago, and Stiles isn’t hung up on Jackson, it’s just the way the other boy treated him still stings.

“Yes I am and now let’s talk about something else, so how did your first day go?”

Scott gets this dreamy look about him that always means trouble, “There was this girl in my international law course she is amazing and I even talked to her.”

Stiles, “What did you two talk about?”

Scott blushes a bit, “She needed a pen and I gave her one.”

Stiles chuckles clutches his hand on Scott’s back and says, “Good, very good, and the next time you will tell her you will give it to her in exchange for her phone number or at least email address.”

Scott, “Oh! That would have been good.”

Three weeks later

It’s late Saturday night and Scott is out on a date with the girl from his international law course, after Stiles introduced them when Scott pointed her out in the hall. And Isaac is with his friends, he asked Stiles if he would come with, but Stiles denied the invitation, it’s nice to have the flat to himself for once, and he doesn’t mind that he doesn’t have Saturday evening plans. Jackson texted him the week before again, and Stiles knows if he goes out drinks or gets lonely or both that he will text back and that is just not a good idea.

His phone rings and he checks who’s calling better to be sure than to have Jackson on the other line. It’s his father. It’s 11 pm, Stiles frowns.

“Dad, what’s up?”

His father sounds distressed, “You are okay?”

“Yes dad I am fine, what’s going on?”

His father sounds relieved and tired, “Do you remember the murder spree when you where in your final year?”

Stiles shudders, “Naturally I remember that, so what is with the Virgin Killer?”

His father in his stern tone, “Stiles! That’s the title the press gave him. But yes that one, he … they found two new bodies.”

Stiles stands up and moves to his room, “Okay … but why are you concerned about me, I am miles away from Beacon Hills.”

His father says nothing.

Stiles, “Dad?”

His father, “I don’t want to concern you, but the newest bodies where found close to your university.”

Stiles sits down on his bed, he was coming here to pack and drive to his father, to support him with this horrible case and now it seems that he doesn’t have to leave to be close to it.

Stiles, “Where exactly?”

“Don’t concern yourself with that, I just wanted to hear that you are okay.”

Stiles, “Dad!”

“One was found near the San Diego Freeway, close to where it meets Sunset Boulevard and the other one was found on the National Cemetery.”

Stiles mumbles to himself, “That works with his methodology” a bit louder, “How do you know it’s the same killer?”

His father sighs, “Stiles, this is not your job! It wasn’t then, it isn’t now! The LAPD called me because they found a lot of eerie similarities some of which have never been mentioned in the newspapers, so it seems to be the same killer.”

Stiles, “Stuff like the ritualistic cuts he left on the bodies?”

His father, “Stiles! You shouldn’t even know about that! They asked me about you so they will probably want to talk to you, but stay out of their investigation!”

Stiles, “Sure, you don’t think … it is only a coincidence that he is here now, isn’t it?”

His father sounding exhausted, “I wish I knew, I really hope so.”

Stiles looks thoughtful out of the window, “I am not the only one from Beacon Hills who is going to UCLA.”

His father stays silent.

Stiles, “But I am the only one who was involved in the last investigation, the only one that found a body on the front steps of their home.”

His father, “I am so sorry about that, I should have never let you get involved in that case.”

Stiles, “As if you could have stopped me… we always thought the body was meant for you, but if he is here now … maybe we overlooked something.”

His father, “You are talking like a cop, you shouldn’t talk like that! Enjoy college, be safe but also have fun, don’t worry about it. They already started a special task force, I might come next week to discuss some details with them, I will text you when I know more.”

Stiles, “Do that, you can sleep at our place if you come.”

His father, “Sure, love you.”

Stiles, “Love you too.”

They hang up and Stiles lies back on his bed, this case is etched into his brain, it was devastating in every sense, six teenagers were found dead before they arrested someone, Stiles was never certain of Isaac’s father’s guilt, but he killed himself in prison and after Stiles learnt what he did to his son his compassion was minimal. They found some evidence later on that he couldn’t have been the killer, but the killings had stopped and the press had found their scapegoat so the case has been staying cold. Until now.

\---Derek’s POV—

In contrast to most people Derek doesn’t mind working on Sundays there are less people around and everyone seems to be a bit calmer.

Not that the office is calm today, their recent murder case is enough to get them into a bit of a frenzy and Derek who has seen a lot has to admit that these pictures of mutilated bodies are especially gruesome and if you took the past cases that happened two years ago into account this killer had already killed eight people and that are only the ones they know of. Derek is sure there are more because his first victim was already perfectly carved, he had to have practiced on other bodies before.  
‘The Virgin Killer’, Derek isn’t sure what the press thinks when they decide to give them such names, it’s not good it gives them power and it is completely wrong as it turns out neither his last victim in Beacon Hills nor the last two here were virgins.

The main detective on the case is a real macho asshole but Derek is still thankful that he got the connection so soon others could have overlooked it just because of this small detail. And he already asked for help, no McCall really seems to be all right even if his buffaloing voice unnerves Derek.

McCall is walking in front of the board with the pictures of their two victims one 20-year-old girl with brown hair and one 19-year-old boy with dark blonde hair.  
The typical age of his victims is now two years older than two years ago. Something changed for their murderer.

McCall, “I don’t get what the connection is, and why the hell is he here now, LA is a completely different playground than Beacon Hills!”

One of his younger detectives, Charles, says “Maybe he moved, got a new job, or something.”

McCall, “Maybe, but the fact that he murders so close to the Stilinski brad again seems also pretty suspicious.”

Derek already read that the investigating Sheriff was a John Stilinski, an eerie coincidence that his most prominent student has the same last name.

Derek, “You are not talking about Stiles Stilinski are you?”

McCall suddenly gives him a suspicious look, “Yes I am, you know him?”

Derek, “He is one of my students.”

McCall, “And your class is again?”

Derek a bit annoyed, “Forensic Psychology”

McCall, “Hmm, well he was always way too interested in his father’s work, he was always in the way during investigations in Beacon Hills, and now these murders happen again at the place where he is studying. I think we should visit him and ask him a few questions.”

Charles, “It’s 7pm, I promised my wife to be home by six, can’t it wait until tomorrow.”

McCall nods, “Okay, is he in your class tomorrow Hale?”

Derek nods, “Yes in the one from 11am to 12pm, please don’t come before 12.”

McCall nods, he seems to be almost gleeful about the prospect of interrogating Stiles, Derek doesn’t like that look on him.

McCall, “Good, then let’s rest for tonight and tomorrow at eight again here, and Hale as soon as your classes are finished I am expecting you to join us.”

Derek nods, he hates when the detectives of a case forget that he is an outside consultant and not their underling, “If you don’t mind I want to go through the paper work a bit more.”

McCall, “Sure, stay as long as you like.”

When they have all left finally Derek relaxes a bit and starts reading the case files from beginning to end. Two hours later he has a weird knot in his stomach and the certain intuition that Stiles’s connection to this case has to do with more than the fact that he is the sheriff’s son. Derek doesn’t understand how they could miss it then, how they could miss that the victims always had the same age as Stiles that they were often found close to places that Stiles visited frequently. Derek has a bad feeling about this. The fact that he is really concerned about his student doesn’t lessen his feeling, he doesn’t have any feelings towards his students normally, to be honest they aren’t that important to him, sometimes they amuse him, sometimes he is proud of them, more often than not he finds them annoying, but he never is really invested in their well-being. So why should it be different with Stiles? Derek is a bit confused about his feelings but decides to concentrate on the case in front of him and not on his student.

\---Stiles’s POV---

Stiles hates the Virgin Killer and not in the same way everyone hates a killer that terrorizes their hometown, no Stiles hates him because he has an odd tendency to ruin special places for Stiles. No one knows that the place where they found his first victim was actual a place in the forest where Stiles always went when life overwhelmed him, he went there a week after they found the body of the sixteen year old girl again, you could still see the blood that had soaked into the ground and was splashed on the biggest tree in the clearing, Stiles could never go there again to calm down. And now he is at the National LA cemetery and he has an eerie déjà-vu, the place where they found the body is easy to find, the yellow tape is trapped around a slight clearing of the trees a place where no tombstones are standing. Stiles stomach is turning, he visited this cemetery a few times in the last year he couldn’t always drive to his mother’s grave so he sometimes went here just to have something that connected them. No, Stiles can’t deny anymore that this killer has a thing for him; there are too many coincidences. And he hasn’t told them everything, he didn’t want his father to worry, and it happened so shortly after McCall had tried to oust his father. Stiles had been sure that if he informed them that he was even more connected to every murder than they thought that it wouldn’t look good for his father.

The blood patterns are similar to the ones of the first victim Stiles saw, he can imagine where the body of the young man was laying how it was spread, Stiles knows where the knife cut into still living flesh. Stiles knows too much, he always has, from that night more than two years ago when he saw the picture of the first victim on his father’s desk, when he recognized his lost bracelet on the victim’s arm.


	2. Chapter 2

\---Stiles’s POV---

Stiles has no clue how he dragged himself into uni today he could sleep right here and now, but he has already gotten through English Literature with his way to chipper professor, who in contrast to almost everyone of his other teachers really seems to like him, and he got through criminal law, he is really proud that he didn’t just fall asleep there and now he sits in his favourite class and despite the fact that professor Hale isn’t any less attractive than the weeks before his eyes have a hard time staying open. And that today when Mr Hale seems to have developed a weird interest in him always looking in his direction and watching him.

Hale, “So for next week I want a four page essay on how intellectual disabilities should effect the way we judge a criminal. And this is still forensic psychology so I don’t want to read about paragraphs!”

Isaac sighs next to Stiles, “I swear to you he hates me, he marked every one of my slightly lawish comments in my last essay.”

Stiles, “It’s not as if he doesn’t make it clear enough that this isn’t a law class.”

Isaac, “Come on! You can’t just be on his side only because you are into him!”

Stiles just wants to give Isaac an annoyed look when he sees that while all the students were leaving the room Mr Hale moved and is now standing right in front of them and slightly blushing. That’s just perfect!

And then Stiles sees McCall approaching from the door with this horribly arrogant grin on him. Oh this day will just be shit!

Isaac gives Stiles an apologetic look after he realizes that Hale heard them, “Sorry, man.”

Stiles, “It’s fine, just go to lunch, I have to take care of something, tell Scott I’ll see him later.”

Isaac gives him an odd glance but leaves the room and then it’s only Mr Hale, McCall, Stiles and some young detective in the classroom.

Stiles gives McCall an annoyed look, “What do you want?”

McCall moves closer and sits on the table next to Stiles, smirking, “Ah come on we had so much fun the last time we saw each other!”

Stiles sneers, “You tried to get my father fired.”

McCall with a cold grin, “And you got me sent on probation, good times wouldn’t you say?”

Mr Hale looks between the two of them, “I don’t think that is why you are hear now McCall!”

McCall smiles in his arrogantly manner at Hale, “Yeah you are right that’s not why we are here. So I guess your father already informed you of the recent murders?”

Stiles just nods, it’s always best to say as little as possible in McCall’s presence not that he is good at that.

McCall, “So don’t you want to tell us your theory about who was it and why, you were always big on investigating on your own, weren’t you?”

Stiles, “Nah, not this time.”

McCall pobs an eyebrow and says calmly, “I don’t think I have ever heard you say anything more suspicious and I was present when you told an officer that it was stupid to think you could have killed someone like that because no one would find out if you killed someone.”

Stiles remembers that day, he was fifteen, and a bit stupid and still he has the sudden certainty that this statement of his will come back to haunt him.

McCall, “So you don’t find it a bit suspicious that the Virgin Killer”, Hale roles his eyes at that, “seems to like killing close to you?”

Stiles, “I am not the only one from Beacon Hills who goes to UCLA, or have you forgotten that your son is also studying here?”

McCall a bit angry now, “You know it is nice of me to come here and just ask you questions I could get you down to the station and really interrogate you, we have enough to connect you to this case to let you rot in a cell for at least forty-eight hours.”

Hale, “McCall!”

Stiles stands up looks McCall in the eyes and says utterly calm, “Then do it, get a warrant, but I won’t just stay here and get insulted by the man who abandoned my best friend when he was ten and who tried to get my father fired.”

With that he leaves them, he doesn’t go to lunch, Stiles has lost all appetite, he goes back to his flat and just lies on his bed fully dressed until his body is so tired that not even images of corpses can keep him awake.

\---Derek’s POV---

Derek is leaning over the body seeing the handy work of the ‘Virgin Killer’ for the first time in person, it isn’t any less disturbing and the feeling that this is meant to be a message is even more palpable. The victim’s eyes are open looking to the sky her face is the only thing that seems untouched, her throat shows the usual strangle marks, which ultimately killed her, her body is only slightly covered by parts of her cut cloth, the killer didn’t care to get completely rid of them. He had enough skin to cut the thick line dozens of times into the skin, to mutilate her body. It must have hurt unimaginably and still Derek can’t stop the feeling that this isn’t about her pain but about something else, about sending a message. Not that the message was clear even if they identified the symbols as ancient rune symbolism. On which Derek has spent all night reading up on, he had some basic knowledge before, but now he feels a bit more equipped to deal with their killer.

This time the thick line symbolized Isa, which could mean something like challenge or frustration; Derek has a bad feeling about this.

It doesn’t get better when McCall approaches him with a grin, “They found hair from our killer in her hand; we got him this time!”

Derek shakes his head slightly, “I wouldn’t be so sure.”

McCall annoyed, “He left physical evidence, it was clear that he would get sloppy at some point and now he got.”

Derek, “You know what this symbol means?”

McCall looks disgusted at the bloody torso of their victim, “I don’t know, that our killer is a failed artist with a love for the Germanic people? I don’t really care about this crap.”

Sometimes Derek isn’t sure how people like McCall got their job, he has students who could do a better job at solving crime, he has to think about Stiles for a moment, whose essay about why he chose Forensic Psychology was one of the best he ever read.

Derek, “No, it stands for challenge or frustration, and I think that is what these hair samples are supposed to be a challenge, a trap that we shouldn’t fall into.”

McCall, “Nonsense, he just wasn’t careful enough this time that is all. And now go home and grade papers or whatever it is you professors do, I’ll call when we get the DNA results back.”

Derek still in thought, “Do you have Stiles’s DNA in your database?”

McCall gives him a questioning look, “Yes, he was involved in enough crime scenes to be in the database, so you think he…?”

Derek shakes his head, “No, I don’t think so, but I was just wondering if maybe the challenge isn’t meant for us.”

McCall roles his eyes, “You psycho folk all talk in riddles, I don’t care anyway, we will know more when we get the results back.”

With that he walks away gleefully.

Derek has seen enough and yes he has to grade the essays of his class one of those is Stiles’s. Derek really hopes that his inkling isn’t right.

\---Stiles’s POV---

“Hey man, are you alright, you look like you haven’t slept in weeks.” Scott asks concerned.

Stiles hasn’t told them yet, he doesn’t want to track the ugly past back up. Isaac doesn’t talk about his father, but Stiles is sure knowing that the ‘Virgin Killer’ is striking again wouldn’t help him. And he didn’t tell Scott yet because… Well it was a weird time for both of them when that murderer was loose in Beacon Hills, Scott had been in his first serious relationship and Stiles had started to discover his admiration of the same sex, they didn’t really talk with each other then and the murders where something Stiles obsessed over but didn’t talk to his best friend about. It’s not a time Stiles wants to bring up with his best friend and it doesn’t make things easier that Scott’s father is the lead detective and that Scott’s father hates Stiles, always has. Not that that hatred isn’t absolutely reciprocated.

“Nah I am fine, and I have my favourite class now, see you at lunch.”

With that Stiles dashes towards ‘Forensic Psychology’, he will be early but he wanted to talk to Professor Hale anyway, he has read that they found a new victim, and this time they hadn’t been fast enough, a photographer got a picture of her mutilated corpse. Stiles saw the rune, he fears what it means.

Professor Hale sits already behind the desk in the classroom looking through their essays, he looks good, but Stiles has to admit that Isaac was right he really scowls a lot, and Stiles isn’t in search for someone like that again, not that his professor would ever look at him that way even if Stiles obviously was his best student.

Stiles clears his throat to get Professor Hale’s attention. Hale looks up in surprise and when he sees who is standing next to him his look grows suspicious.

Hale, “Stiles… what do you want? The lesson starts in ten minutes.”

Stiles avoiding his look observes the essays in front of him, he doesn’t want to just ask him about the murders, but he doesn’t know what else to talk about either and he doesn’t really know why he decided to stand on this side of the desk so close to Hale.  
Suddenly he has to grin when he sees his essay and his grade, “An A?”

Hale, “What… ” Then his gaze follows Stiles and he sees the paper, quickly he puts them all together and warns, “Stiles! You will see it soon enough and you are not really surprised are you?”

Stiles grins, “No, maybe not, it is still nice to see that you understood my rambling Professor Hale.”

Hale, “It wasn’t rambling, it was scientifically profound argumentation, I didn’t mind the slight escape to the historic background it was actually quite interesting. … and you can call me Derek when I am not teaching you.”

Stiles smiles down at Derek, if Derek keeps this being nice thing up he is in real danger of developing a crush, “But can’t we always be taught isn’t every moment in life a moment of learning?”

Derek looks up at him and roles his eyes and that looks really good too, damn.  
Derek, “So what did you actually want?”

Stiles huffs a bit, “Well … you were asking me about the ‘Virgin Killer’, horrible name the press gave him by the way and with all the runes stuff you would think they would come up with something better, but then they don’t know about that, well anyway I wanted to ask how the case is going.”

Derek stands up, leans against his desk and looks Stiles directly in the eyes, “How do you know about the runes?”

Stiles rubs his neck uneasy, “Ahem it was actually me who discovered what the signs were after they found the forth victim.”

Derek’s eyes narrow, “And how did you know about their knife wounds?”

Stiles looks down on his all too interesting shoes, “My father, you know that he was the lead detective on the case, I mean we are a small town nothing ever happens there, so naturally the sheriff is the lead detective. Well he sometimes works from home and anyway I was working at the sheriff’s department in the summer it all started.”

Derek crosses his arms, which makes his bicep even more obvious not that Stiles is thinking about that, “What were you working as? You were only sixteen.”

Stiles, “Almost seventeen … I helped out in the reception, brought them donuts and coffee and well sometimes they let me do research stuff.” Stiles looks up now and says almost pleadingly, “You can’t fault them! I am really good at this stuff and I was just your typical annoying teen and wouldn’t go away so they handed me pieces of information that kept me occupied.”

Derek nods slowly, “And these pieces of information were enough for you to find a connection that no one else was able to make?”

Stiles shrugs, “I don’t know, I mean it probably wasn’t too hard for me I have always been interested in stuff like that.”

Derek, “Stuff like that?”

Stiles, “Occult stuff.”

Derek pops an eyebrow, “And you would classify runes as occult?”

Stiles a bit annoyed, “No, not in their normal form, but the way the killer uses them and the way he lies his victims it’s always some kind of message it sometimes seems like a kind of ritual to him so in this context it has a touch of occultism. Especially if you take in account that he carved the rune Ehwaz reversed into his last victim in Beacon Hills.”

Derek gives him a suspicious look again, “And that means?”

Stiles can’t help but feel that this is a test, “Well in that way a harmless rune that means something like Transportation suddenly has the meaning of feeling confined and mistrust or betrayal. And the others weren’t any more harmless.”

Derek, “What do you think he wanted to say with that rune, what of the three meaning you just mentioned you think our killer meant?”

Stiles hesitates, but he has to say it, “He meant betrayal.”

Derek, “And you know that because?”

Stiles, “I… I don’t know it. It’s just, she was also the first one that wasn’t a virgin, and when I saw the sign I just … I was sure that was what he meant.”

Stiles blushes he remembers his thought process then, he remembers still feeling Jackson on him, still feeling these lips touching him, still feeling like the earth had shattered without moving anything.

And then feeling guilty when he saw the dead girl that was killed four days before the killer’s normal schedule and he couldn’t shake the feeling that her death had been his fault.

Derek, “There is something you are not saying.”

Stiles swallows, “No … I don’t know I had a lot going on then sometimes my brain sees connection where there are none.”

Derek, “Maybe you should leave it to me to judge if the connections are there or aren’t. So what …”

The arrival of the other students interrupts Derek, Stiles takes the chance to walk to his seat quickly. Jackson gives him a mean slightly jealous glance. That fucker, officially he is in a very happy relationship with a cheerleader, unofficially he still sends Stiles very NSFW messages.


	3. Chapter 3

\---Stiles’s POV---

“How was your drive here, the traffic wasn’t too bad was it? I know it can be, LA traffic is the worst , but if you know when and where to drive …”

His father looks at him sternly and says, “Stiles!” Stiles shuts up and his father hugs him quickly before inquiring more, “So how exactly did your talk with McCall go?”

Stiles gives his shoes a good stare, since his father arrived ten minutes ago and mentioned that he had already been to the FBI’s office Stiles has tried to avoid looking at his father. 

His father, “Stiles! Why the hell didn’t you talk to McCall?”

Stiles looking up and waving with his hands in front of him, “He was being an asshole, and that whole alpha male shit he had going on and that in front of Derek, I couldn’t handle it!”

His father pops an eyebrow in question, “Derek?”

Stiles blushes, shit, he didn’t mean to mention his professor, “Yeah Professor Hale, Derek, he is my Forensic Psychology professor, he is also helping out with the investigation.”

His father nods, “Yeah I saw him at the office, he is pretty young for a professor isn’t he?”

Stiles shrugs, “He finished High School with sixteen and then just studied hard, he already has two Masters and a Doctor and he is a really good professor, he even…” Stiles interrupts himself when he sees the knowing look his father gives him.

His father, “Stiles, he is your professor and still quite a few years older then you.”

Stiles, “Dad! It’s not like… He is just a great professor and like you said he is pretty young, not that it matters.”

His father, “It better not, well anyway I told McCall that I would come back today to discuss the case a bit further and I think as a gesture of good will you should come with me.”

Stiles “But…”

His father interrupts him, “No but, I know he is an asshole, but he is the lead detective here and … you have to admit that it all looks really suspicious, and if … if this has any connection to you I want them to be on your side.”

Stiles, “Okay”

\--

Stiles lingers a bit behind his father when they enter the FBI’s office, he doesn’t want to talk to McCall, his father goes on into the room next door to greet the young detective that was with McCall the other day, his father mentioned that his name was Charles.  
Stiles sees the board with information about the murders and pictures of the bodies pinned on it and he can’t stop himself, before he knows it he is standing in front of it mumbling to himself as he takes as much information in as possible.

Looking over the runes that were carved into the newest bodies Stiles mumbles, “Raidho, something like travel or making the next move, probably because he moved hunting grounds, Kenaz could mean regeneration or … sexual love, looks like he took his time with this one.”  
He is silent for a moment looking at the mutilated boy’s body, trying very hard not to see the similarity to himself, his eyes wander to the latest victim, he studies the picture when he sees a photograph of a few hairs in her hand.  
His hand goes instinctively toward his own hair, he knows without seeing any DNA report that that is his hair. How will he explain tha? It won’t take them too long to identify it. He is afraid that he could go to prison, but that is not really his main concern, he has the distinct idea that the killer doesn’t want him to rot in jail, he just wants to punish him, but for what? Stiles eyes wander back over the other victims, what happened that made the killer want to challenge him so directly?

“So do you have any new clues for us?”, Derek says from behind him.

Stiles winces then looks up at Derek, he is pretty close and he talked quietly as not to announce to anyone else what Stiles is doing.

Derek, “Your interpretations of the runes are interestingly clear, you know that there are a lot of other things they could mean, don’t you?”

Stiles nods, “Sure, but … I don’t know I just have a feeling that that’s what they mean.”

Derek, “Okay, what is with his older victims, tell me what their runes mean.”

Stiles looks over to the pictures of the first six victims, he knows these photographs by heart, they are a repeating theme in his nightmares especially the fourth one, the one he found.

“Well the first one is not that hard, Berkano can mean different things, but I really think that it was a kind of ‘Birth’ for the killer, the second one I am not sure, it’s Fehu and it can mean something like creation…” Stiles hesitates a bit, but Derek looks so serious and honest at him that he carries on, “the body was found on a cemetery … near my mother’s grave, Fehu can also mean possession… Anyway the third one, the first girl has Ansuz and that is the first one that was found really publicly in our school parking lot and I think he meant to say that he wanted to communicate to leave a clear message.”

Stiles hesitates a bit, before he goes over the fourth one, you can see the steps of their house under the twisted body of the mutilated girl. Derek lays his hand on his shoulder and squeezes lightly, Stiles wants to lean into that touch but instead he continues, “Othala, is pretty clear it means a house, a home and the next…” Derek interrupts him and says in a hushed voice, “Is that really all it means?” His hand is still on Stiles’s shoulder it is pretty distracting.

Stiles, “No… it can also mean possessions and what is truly important to one.” Stiles shudders at the thought of what the killer wanted to say with that.

And Derek is suddenly standing even closer to his back and almost whispers, “He doesn’t possess you. Go on what does Uruz mean?”

Stiles can’t help and leans a bit into Derek, it is inappropriate and it is public, but he feels vulnerable talking about this stuff and Derek seems to understand.

Stiles, “I am not sure with this one, it can mean physical strength but also stuff like sexual desire and masculine potency.” Derek adds, “And untamed potential, I had a feeling that the killer was going into that direction.”

Stiles confused, “But why?”  
Derek, “Stiles, that is what he sees in you obviously, and it’s not too hard to see either you are an unusually bright young man. So again why did you think that Ehwaz reversed meant betrayal and not something like feeling restless or disharmony?”

Stiles is red as a tomato, this is so the wrong place and time to develop a full on crush on his professor.

Stiles hesitant, “Well, I don’t know…” Derek squeezes his shoulder as if to say that he doesn’t believe him, Stiles goes on, “Okay, I … before that, my father doesn’t know, I kind of had just two days before, there was this boy in my class. We always fought but I mean we still fought we still hated each other… we still hate each other, but then it kind of changed for a short while into something else and before Lily was murdered we had … I had my first time.”

Wow, that was horrible and now Derek his professor is the first person he told that, great!

Derek squeezes his shoulder again lightly as if to reassure him.  
Derek, “Okay, that makes sense, who knew about it at the time?”

Stiles shakes his head still looking at Lily’s body, it’s weird she is the one he feels most responsible for, “No one, he would never have told anyone he is still the perfect straight boy and I… no one would have wanted me to be with him and they were right anyway.”  
Derek started rubbing circles on Stiles’s shoulder blade with his thumb it is damn distractive.

Suddenly the voice of his father comes from behind them, “So you are already quizzing my son, Professor Hale?” there is a special emphasize on the professor part.

Derek dropped his hand immediately, but he doesn’t look fazed, “We were just talking, your son has some very good insides.”

His father in a suspicious tone, “I know he does, so what did you two talk about?”

Derek without batting an eyelash, “The killer’s fixation on Stiles.”

His father looks shocked.

Derek, “And since we are on that, why didn’t you see that sooner? You are his father and you were the lead detective, so how did this escape your schooled eye?”

Stiles stepping out from behind Derek and a bit in front of him, “Derek! He didn’t know, he couldn’t know! I didn’t… I didn’t tell him anything!”

Derek raises an eyebrow and looks at Stiles, “He still should have realized it, you are his son, it wasn’t too hard to see.”

Stiles a bit angry now, “Stop it! He did his best, I didn’t even want to realize it how could he have, without any of the information I had?”

Derek looks at him suspiciously, “You knew from the first victim on didn’t you?”  
Stiles swallows heavily, “I… I …”

His father interrupts, “Stiles, what didn’t you tell me? What did you know?”

Stiles swallows hard, well it’s time to come clean, he goes to the picture of the first victim and points to the blue leather strap on his wrist, “That’s mine, I lost it a week before … and the place, I told you that I sometimes went walking in the forest to clear my head, that … that was the place I always went to, I didn’t know that anyone knew about it.”

His father is pale now, “Why didn’t you tell me!”

Stiles shakes his head slightly, “I wasn’t sure, I didn’t want it to be true and … I didn’t want to complicate things for you.”

His father looks sad now, “Stiles you are my son, I don’t care about my job as long as you are safe!”

McCall takes that moment to enter he looks unusually serious, “Well, we have a result for the DNA analysis, anyone here who wants to guess who it belongs to?”

His father, “You can’t seriously think that my son did this!”

McCall, “Maybe, maybe not, it doesn’t matter our latest victim had his hair in her hand, that calls for questioning, Stiles, I hope you are ready to be questioned voluntarily, because I will arrest you, I have quite enough to do so.”

 

\---Derek’s POV---

Stiles is sitting behind the one-sided mirror looking worried, McCall agreed that Derek can do the questioning, despite McCall’s dislike for the Stilinskis he doesn’t seem to think that Stiles is a murderer, like Derek already recognized he isn’t as stupid as he sometimes lets on. And Derek gets to interrogate Stiles because he is more objective. That’s the reasoning behind it. Derek isn’t sure that he is. He doesn’t really know the boy, that’s true, but he feels weirdly protective over him, reading his file, reading about his mother’s death, about all his school troubles because of his ADHD, his bright mind and his sarcasm, Derek wants to comfort him and that’s just weird. Derek isn’t the comforting type, other than his family members he never wanted to comfort anyone, yes he had the occasional fling, but none of them he felt protective of. And what exactly is wrong with him to think about Stiles and flings in the same line of thought, Stiles is almost ten years younger than him and he is his student, his very vulnerable student whose father is already looking at Derek suspiciously.

Derek has no clue what went through his mind when he was stroking Stiles’s shoulder earlier, and he was, even if it was unconscious at first he realizes that it felt good, that when Stiles leaned back a bit and his back almost touched Derek’s chest that he wanted to wrap his arms around him he wanted to press him close he wanted to comfort him and he wanted to destroy every bad memory Stiles had of the boy that took his virginity, and that is a thought he really shouldn’t have.

He enters the interrogation room, Stiles seems relieved that he and not McCall enters.  
Derek sits across from Stiles and tries to control this situation, this is serious, and Stiles has been getting away with omitting information for way too long.

Derek, “So let’s start with something simple, did you murder Arlene Clark, our latest victim?”

Stiles pales and shakes his head furiously, “No! I didn’t murder anyone!”

Derek nods, “Okay, did you know any of the victims?”

Stiles shakes his head slightly, “No, not really, I mean Beacon Hills isn’t big, John the second victim sometimes worked at the cinema and Lily … I talked to her at a party a month before she died.”

Derek, “What did you two talk about?”

Stiles blushes and looks at the one-way mirror, “I don’t think that’s important.”

Derek, “Do you know that she has some marks on her that indicate that she was tortured a bit longer than some of the others, not in the same sexual way the boys were, just like someone wanted her to talk.”

Stiles pales, “That… that’s what these marks were? … We just, the girl that invited me, Lydia, thought we would hit it of and so we started talking and Lily kissed me at one point.”

Derek looks at him expectantly, “And?”

Stiles staring at his hands, “I wasn’t really into it and she asked if there was someone I was into, if I still was hung up on Lydia, she knew about my epic crush on her … I told her … I was a bit drunk and she was very nice… so I told her that I wasn’t sure if I was attracted to girls. I haven’t actually told my dad yet.”

Stiles stares at the mirror again.

Derek, “He isn’t there I told McCall to talk to him about the case in the other room, because you would be more open if you didn’t think your father was watching.”

Stiles nods, “Thank you.”

Derek, “You know I don’t think he would mind.”

Stiles, “No, I know he doesn’t and he kind of knows already, he hints on it sometimes, but he would ask if there was someone and then I would have to tell him about… I don’t really want to talk about that with him.”

Derek, “You mean the boy you mentioned before?”  
Stiles nods.

Derek, “Tell me about that, what’s his name and how did it happen?”

Stiles shakes his head, “I really don’t think that is relevant.”

Derek looks sternly at him, “You are brighter than this, you know that it is relevant.”

Stiles looking at his hands, “You … you actually know him, it’s … Jackson Whittemore.”

Derek can’t control himself for a moment and almost shouts, “Jackson?! That asshole, how did that happen?”

Stiles shrinks a bit in his seat, great that wasn’t what Derek was meant to do.  
Stiles despite being a bit pale gives him a hard stare, “It happened! And what’s it to you who it was?”

Derek drops back in his seat a bit. They stare at each other for a moment, both knowing very well that Derek shouldn’t have an opinion about it.  
Derek, “To be honest, and I know I shouldn’t say it because he is my student, but I don’t like him, he gets by on his fame, but doesn’t do enough work for his courses and he treats others like crap.”

Stiles smiles a bit, “Well your opinion of him doesn’t differ from my own.”

Derek, “Then why were you two together?”

Stiles sighs, “We were never together, it was … it just happened, one moment we screamed at each other the next he was pressing me into the locker and I kissed him and it went all downhill from there, more fighting, more mean remarks from him, more angry secretive kissing and making out.”

Derek, “And that worked for you?”

Stiles gives him a sad smile, “No, no not at all, I could have… there was a cute boy who asked me out then, and I said no, because I was so involved with Jackson, who treated me like shit, I don’t know maybe it has something to do with the fact that I was a bit lonely or the fact that I could never pull someone like Jackson under normal circumstances, it wasn’t a good idea to be involved with him I know that, and he still is the same asshole, but well I couldn’t help myself.”

Derek, “Why … okay, first of all we all make mistakes, don’t think any less of yourself because you made them, and Jackson might be on a very superficial level attractive, but not more so than you, and you have the better character by far.”

Stiles, “That’s nice of you, but … you don’t have to say that, I know that I am below the standards of people like Jackson.”

Derek has to control himself, he is getting so angry all of a sudden, he couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t hit Jackson if he was here right now.  
Derek, “He told you that didn’t he?”

Stiles nods.

Derek, “He was wrong, so damn wrong! You are brilliant, loyal, nice and … handsome don’t think any less of you!”

Stiles stunned, “You think … you think I am handsome?”

Derek roles his eyes, “Don’t get yourself hung up on it, and the other things I mentioned are way more important.”

Stiles suddenly gets a wicked smile, “You like me don’t you?”

Oh this kid! Derek, “Stiles! Let’s get back to the issue, how and when did it end between you two?”

Stiles, “After we finished high school, I just never texted him back and when he wanted to start a fight at uni I ignored him, he lost interest pretty soon, he only started texting me again four weeks ago.”

Derek pops an eyebrow, “Four weeks ago? What happened?”

Suddenly realization crosses Stiles’s face, “Oh my god I am so stupid! I didn’t think of it, but sure, it makes so much sense now!”

Derek, “What?”

Stiles, “An article got published in the Beacon Hills Gazette for the two year jubilee of the first murder of the Virgin Killer, the article had a part of an unpublished interview I gave after they arrested Isaac’s father in it.”

Derek nods, “Yes that could have been his trigger, what did the interview say?”

Stiles blushes slightly, “When I got interviewed we had just found out what Isaac’s father had done to Isaac, I was a bit angry so I told the interviewer what a coward the killer was and that he probably was impotent and so he had to act it out on innocent people.”  
Derek, “Well that would definitely do it. What did Jackson text you?”

Stiles blushes, “I really don’t think that that is important, Jackson isn’t the killer, he has his issues but that’s not something he would do.”

Derek nods, “I agree I don’t see him as the killer either and he wouldn’t have a reason to act out after you slept with him, but the details are still important so what did he text you?”

Stiles swallows hard, “We never had a real texting culture it was more a ’10 pm behind the school’ and a lot of ‘you know you want it’ from his side kind of thing. After the article he texted just ‘wouldn’t you like to feel full again’”  
Stiles blushes heavily and stares at his hands again.

Derek has to control himself to not blush too, because he suddenly has an image in his head that he definitely shouldn’t have, of Stiles pressed against a locker and someone behind him pressed against him and he has the eerie feeling that it’s not Jackson he imagines with Stiles.

Stiles looks up, curious about the silence, “What … oh, you…” He smiles suddenly blushing even heavier.

Derek really has to get a grip on himself.  
Derek, “So who do you think could have known about this?”

Stiles shakes his head, “No one, really, I mean yes Scott, Isaac and Allison know about the first time after the winter ball, when we just kissed, but they were so shocked and Scott almost wanted to tear Jackson’s head off, so I didn’t tell them of the times afterwards and for a long time Jackson still had a girlfriend then so we kept it very quiet. And Jackson isn’t out in the slightest so he wouldn’t have told anyone.”

Derek nods, “So your friend Scott was mad about you and Jackson?”

Stiles sits up suddenly, “Oh no, no, no! Scott is my best friend, by the way it’s Scott McCall, and Allison was his girlfriend then, Scott was just mad because Jackson is such an asshole and always treated me like shit, not because of some weird jealousy we never had anything on that level, iih, that thought is just disgusting. Anyway Scott wanted to set me up with Isaac for quite some time so no jealousy going on there!”

Derek nods, “Okay, so Isaac, the son of Tim Lahey, was interested in you?”

Stiles tired, “No, and stop suspecting my friends! Isaac just turned out to be bi and in Scott’s head that means we would be the perfect couple it took us both quite a while to explain to Scott that just because we are both interested in men doesn’t mean we are interested in each other.”

Derek, “And you are sure that Isaac never had any feelings toward you?”

Stiles roles his eyes, “Yes and I will tell you a secret now, that can’t leave this room, for the most part of our time as friends in High-School Isaac was hung up on Scott, not that Scott knows.”

Derek nods, “Okay, so any other candidates? You mentioned a boy that asked you out.”

Stiles, “This is stupid, you don’t really think that a teenager did this, do you? This was done by a grown-up! The boy’s name was Matt, Matt Daehler, he was a nice guy, but I really don’t know him very well, he went to school with us, I think he also goes to UCLA and we ran into him when we went to Jungle, the local gay club.”

Derek, “I know Jungle.”

Stiles grins, “I knew you grew up in Beacon Hills, but it’s good to know that you know the local scene.”

Derek rolls his eyes, “It doesn’t matter what I know or not know about it.”

Stiles smiling broadly, “Oh I think we both know that it does matter.”

Derek, “Stiles! So anyone else, any grown-ups that ever spent too much time with you, teachers that gave you special attention?”

Stiles, “I don’t think so, I mean my chemistry teacher, Mr Harris always hated me fiercely, but that was reciprocated, McCall also never liked me, but I really got him sent on probation so I kind of get that, he still is a douchebag though, Professor Blake seems to really like me, the one for English literature, she is great. Other than that … I always got along with officer James at the Sheriff’s office very well, he has a small girl now, he sent me a Christmas card from his family, and Erica, the receptionist was also always nice. Peter, one of the better lawyers in Beacon Hills, seemed also to like my sarcasm, but I think that’s it, and none of them seemed very threatening or especially interested.”

Derek nods, noting down the names, “So that was James…?”

Stiles rolling his eyes, “James Ire, Erica Reyes and … oh, Peter Hale.”

Derek jerks his head up suddenly, “Peter Hale? Thirty-eight, always dressed well, arrogant flair?”

Stiles nods, “You are related?”

Derek has a hard time keeping his breathing under control, “He is my uncle, as far as I know he has an office in L.A. I didn’t know he worked in Beacon Hills too.”

Stiles, “Oh, you don’t have to mention him to McCall, he was just one of the more interesting lawyers.”

Derek fixes Stiles, “Peter … after my family died, he had a hard time coping there were rumours that he … that he stalked an intern from work. It got dismissed, but… you shouldn’t trust him.”

Stiles, “You don’t really think… this isn’t stalking, this is about murder, and this is your uncle, you can’t just suspect him!”

Derek, “We have a difficult relationship. I will just go and share the information with McCall, don’t worry only the names of the people you gave me for now.”

Stiles, “Jackson’s too?”

Derek nods, “Yes, even if I don’t really think that he is the killer, he is a reasonably good suspect, but I won’t tell them why he is on the list for now.”

Stiles, “Thanks”


	4. Chapter 4

\---Stiles POV---

Stiles doesn’t have to wait long before Derek accompanied by his father and McCall enters the interrogation room again.

McCall, “Thanks for finally giving us something we can work on, since Derek seems to have a particular interest in his uncle as a suspect I thought you and him could give him a visit tomorrow and see what his reaction is, meanwhile me and my agents will start checking out the rest.”

Derek reacts surprised. “Why should Stiles accompany me, I told you I’ll talk to my uncle alone!”

Stiles, “And what will that accomplish? If I am with you, you can observe how he reacts to me.”

McCall, “Exactly right, well, Stiles you have never been stupid, just annoying!”

His father, “McCall! I’ll take my son home now, you two” he gives Derek a stern look “can go talk to Peter after Stiles’s lectures tomorrow.”

Stiles stands, he is glad to finally go home but still, “I am a grown-up you know? I don’t need my father to go home with me.”

His father just roles his eyes, Derek stops Stiles before he is out of the room and hands him his business card, “You can call me if anything’s up or … if he bothers you again.”

Stiles smiles, “Thanks, I will.”

His father and Stiles are walking to his father’s car in silence, inside his father asks, “Who is bothering you?”

Stiles, “It’s nothing.”

His father, “You know you can tell me everything, I don’t care … I don’t care if you are also interested in men.”

Stiles has to smile a bit, “Dad … I am only interested in men.”

His father, “Ah, okay, see I don’t mind. Just … Derek is your professor and he is almost ten years older than you!”

Stiles roles his eyes, “As I remember we had this discussion already, there is nothing going on.”

His father, “And you are clutching his business card because?”

Stiles looks down at his hand, he didn’t realize how hard he was holding on to the card and he can’t help the smile that passes his face when he looks at it.

His father, “I know that look, that look doesn’t mean nothing is going on.”

Stiles sighs, “But it is the truth, I might… I mean he is attractive okay, but he isn’t interested in someone like me.”

His father, “And you are sure? He is gay, isn’t he?”

Stiles, “Oh my god dad! We didn’t discuss that, so I don’t know and there are a lot of people who hate labels like that so you should be careful. I think that he is at least also interested in men yes, but that still doesn’t mean that he is interested in me, because that is not the way it works.”

His father, “I know that, it’s just the way he looked at you. … I know you like to take care of troubled people I remember how you were when you first met Isaac, but someone with a history like him could really drag you down, and he is still way older and your professor.”

Stiles curious, “What history?”

His father, “Ah, son, you know about the fire of the Hale house, don’t you?”

Stiles nods, “Sure, I read up on… I know that his family died in that fire, that only he, his sister and, not that I knew before, his uncle survived.”

His father nods, “Yes, and did you know who was responsible for the fire?”

Stiles frowns, “I read a newspaper article that it was some delusional twenty year old woman.”

His father nods again, “Yes it was, she was also Derek’s ex-girlfriend who couldn’t handle their break-up.”

Stiles swallows hard, poor Derek! He feels the strong urge to go back and hug him and never let him go.

His father, “I didn’t tell you that so you empathize with him! I told you so you know how much package there is!”

Stiles, “Yeah sure, it’s just … he probably feels really guilty. Poor Derek!”

His father tired, “I didn’t make it better, did I? Ah, let’s drop it, what do you want to eat?”

Stiles in thought still with Derek, “Chinese take out is good with me.”

\---Derek’s POV---

Derek is annoyed, he doesn’t think that it is a good idea to visit his uncle with Stiles, he doesn’t want to give Peter the chance to drop his predatory gaze upon Stiles. Derek has to admit that he probably overreacted the day before, it’s not like Peter has ever shown homicidal tendencies, he is just a bit creepy and he always had a tendency to flirt with any man Derek has been with. And that is probably the core reason why Derek doesn’t want Stiles to accompany him, not that Stiles is with him, and that is something he has to keep telling himself, while Stiles is sitting next to him in his car and telling him about something or other.

They just arrive at Peter’s posh law firm when Stiles comments, “I really like your car by the way!”

Derek short and maybe a bit impolite, “Thanks”

He can’t deal with Stiles any more; his presence is way too distracting.

Stiles is jittery on the way to the elevator, at first Derek thinks it’s his normal ADHD self, but then his schooling sets in again and as they enter the elevator he says sternly, “You are nervous.”

Stiles flusters a bit, “Maybe, yes okay, but I mean it’s normal isn’t it, this is the first interrogation I have been to … officially.”

Derek gives him a suspicious side glance, “That’s not all is it?”

Stiles rubs his neck nervously, “I don’t know what you mean.”

Before Derek can inquire any more they arrive at the right floor, a secretary leads them to Peter’s office.

When they enter Peter leans against his desk already waiting for them, Derek observes the look of relaxed professional he is going for. His jacket hangs on his chair his shirtsleeves are rolled up a bit and the top three buttons of his shirt are open, he radiates an aura of self-confidence.

Peter’s gaze wanders immediately to Stiles who obviously feels out of place in this upper-class office, just for a moment Derek sees the predatory look in Peter’s eyes then it’s gone, hidden under the façade of the suave lawyer.

Peter says enthusiastically, “Stiles! Long time no see, and look at you all grown up into a handsome young man! Are you studying at UCLA?”

Stiles blushes a bit and smiles at Peter openly, “Yes, but I haven’t made up my mind about my major yet.”

Peter chuckles lightly, “So many things to fill your brilliant brain, it’s great that you are here, but to be honest I always thought you would end up at Harvard or Yale and wasn’t Columbia also on the list?”

Stiles nods a bit, “Yes, but UCLA is a great university and so close to the sea.”

Peter, “They all would have taken you wouldn’t they?” Stiles nods embarrassed, “And it’s not the sea it’s your father, does he know that you turned Harvard down for him?”

Stiles shakes his head, “No, I kind of told him that they didn’t accept me, and it’s not only my father it’s also my friends.”

Peter, “Sure, what did Lydia say to that?”

Stiles grins, “Oh she was mad, she is at CalTech so we wouldn’t have gone to the same university anyway, but she has a very particular opinion about my choice.”

Peter grins, “I can imagine, but I know that you will do something brilliant with your life no matter where you are.”

Stiles went a bit further into the room during their conversation, it’s obvious that they are comfortable with each other, Derek has the feeling that Stiles underplayed his relationship with Peter and he has the slight sense from the short glances that Stiles gives to Peter’s neck and bare arms that the boy might have had a crush on his uncle, which makes Derek’s life just so much more perfect.

Stiles, “Thanks, I am not so sure though, I really can’t decide on a major.”

Peter, “No matter what you study and if it’s medieval art history I will have a job for you I promise you that, I couldn’t let such a brilliant mind slip away, now could I Derek?”

Derek is annoyed, he doesn’t feel in control, his uncle always had the ability to make him feel this way.

Derek, “Peter, stop flirting with people half your age.”

Peter smirking, “Now, was I flirting? Stiles, do you think I meant something improper with my behaviour? No I don’t think so, I mean if I say something like, Stiles your mouth looks still as sinful as ever and I will dream about your hands tonight, that would be flirting.”

Derek almost growling, “No that would be sexual harassment.”

Peter, “You forget, sweet Derek, it’s only sexual harassment if the recipient doesn’t want to hear it. Stiles would you say you feel harassed?”

Stiles is red as a tomato but shakes his head.  
Great Stiles is into his creepy uncle.

Derek, “Well anyway, I emailed your secretary a list of dates earlier, did you have a look over your calendar, do you know where you have been at these dates?”

Peter still has his eyes fixed on Stiles, “This is about the ‘Virgin Killer’ isn’t it? You worked on that, didn’t you?”

Stiles, “Yes it is and no … I was just around.”

Peter chuckles again, “Sure I remember how you were always ‘just around’, did you ever think about becoming a detective or a criminalist like my dear nephew?”

Derek just detests his uncle and the fact that he asked Stiles what Derek wanted to ask since the first time he met the boy doesn’t make the situation any better.

Stiles, “No not really, I mean yeah, it’s interesting but … there are also so many other things.”

Peter now serious, “It’s fine that you wanted to stay close to your father, but you can’t determine what you want to do with your life because of him.”

Stiles, “I didn’t say…”

Peter interrupts him, “You didn’t have to, don’t forget I know your father and I know that he only wants the best for you and naturally he doesn’t think that being around criminals would be that, but maybe you should start thinking if the fact that you can’t decide isn’t more about that you actually know what you want to do than the fact that there are so many interesting things out there.”

Stiles looks confused and stunned.

Derek has thought that all already, but he didn’t want to get even closer to Stiles and now his uncle has impressed him by his insights. Peter gives Derek a knowing look, oh how he hates that smirking bastard.

Peter takes a sheet into his hand and glances over it, “My secretary will email you my whereabouts for the dates you were asking about. But most of them are at night and I don’t have any definite alibies for these, other than sleeping alone in my flat, or sometimes in a hotel in Beacon Hills.”

Derek, “I didn’t know that you took cases in Beacon Hills.”

Peter, “Well it’s not like we talk that much, and nowadays I don’t take them on any more, but yes during the time of the ‘Virgin Killer’ and before I was there quite often.”

Derek, “Why?”

Peter shrugs, “Different reasons, some high profile clients, nostalgia and naturally Stiles.”

Derek, “Stiles?”

Peter smirking, “Yes sure, who wouldn’t want to visit a precinct where you can spend your waiting time debating the deeper meaning of stabbings with a seventeen-year-old?”

Derek, “Stabbings?”

Peter, “Just one of our many fascinating topics.”

A cold shudder runs down Derek’s spine, he is still not convinced that Peter is the killer, but Derek has the feeling that if he is they will have a very hard time to prove it.

Peter sounding almost concerned, “Stiles do you think that I am the ‘Virgin Killer’?”

Stiles looks at Derek for a moment then shakes his head slightly, “No not really but … Derek mentioned that you stalked an intern once.”

Peter barks out a laugh, “Even if that were true, which it isn’t, stalking isn’t really the same as ritualistic killing now is it? Anyway, this intern is in jail now, because he tried the same dirty trick with someone else, he got five to ten years for false accusations and attempted extortion.”

Stiles seems relieved, Derek can’t help the feeling that this explanation came out too easily, he is sure that it will check out, but it almost seemed as if Peter was waiting for that question just to tell them how wrong they were.

Peter looks at his watch and says, “Well it was very nice catching up, but I have a meeting in five minutes” he hands Stiles his card and adds, “have you been to Joey’s yet? It’s a great new … bar that opened close to UCLA.”

Stiles bites his lip, he blushes again, which is understandable when Peter mentions a gay bar so openly without confirming beforehand that he has the right audience for that.

Stiles, “No, I haven’t… but I was meaning to try it out.”

Peter smiles at him, slaps him at his back and says, “Do that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments always welcome!


	5. Chapter 5

\---Derek’s POV---

They walk out and to Derek’s car in silence, Stiles looking contemplative at Peter’s card.  
When they are in the car and Derek started driving, Derek can’t hold back any more, “What the hell was that?”

Stiles blushes, “I don’t know, I kind of forgot how it is with him, he always … I don’t know he has a relaxing way.”

Derek, “Sure, you were full on flirting with him, while I was in the room by the way!”

Stiles, “I wasn’t… I don’t know he was kind of the first guy I fancied a bit, before I even realized what that all meant, and why does it matter that it was in front of you, you don’t mind do you?”

Derek, “He is my uncle, naturally I mind!”

Stiles, “So you have a problem with me flirting with him and not him flirting with me?”

Derek grits his teeth, “You are half his age!”

Stiles, “My father says that I shouldn’t date you because you are ten years older, do you think that is too old too?”

Great his father actually talked with Stiles about the possibility of them dating.

Derek, “Yes it is! And you are my student!”

Stiles, “Well I don’t think that age matters that much, and … I don’t know he makes me feel good, he doesn’t behave like he would hide me, not that I really consider going out with him it’s just nice to think about.”

Derek hits his steering wheel forcefully.

Stiles jerks, “What was that?”

Derek under his breath, “I wish I could punch Jackson.”

Stiles looks at him stunned and now they are also in a traffic jam and nothing is moving, so Derek can’t even pretend to be busy driving, he looks back at Stiles and the amazement he sees there breaks his heart. Stiles really doesn’t seem to know how lovably he actually is.

Stiles, “Why do you care so much?”

Derek while gritting his teeth, “I don’t … okay, maybe I do, I always knew that Jackson was an idiot but the way he treated you, it’s not right!”

Stiles sighs and looks away, out of the car, “It’s … I mean yes it was shit how he treated me, but … it’s not totally his fault, I knew what I was getting into, and I get that he wasn’t ready to come out, it’s not easy, and … we never were in the same circles, I can just imagine what his friends would have said if they would have found out. No, I mean he was, still is, an asshole, but I get why he couldn’t risk it.”

Derek incredulous, “How can you defend him? Or do you want to tell me that when you where all alone he was all nice and loving? Because that’s not the impression I got from what you told me.”

Stiles shakes his head slightly, still looking outside, “No, he wasn’t, he was rather mean actually, but … I can’t just let it all be bad. He was my … first and … my only one so I have to hold on to whatever explanation I can find for his behaviour, because if I have none I start to think that I was the reason why he was the way he was with me.”

Derek clasps the steering wheel, “He is an asshole! That is the reason why he treated you that way, and no it’s not you, like I said before there are enough reasons why you are … special. And even if you were not, only an asshole would treat another person like that.”

Stiles chuckles slightly, “That reasoning is impeccable! But thanks, it’s weird but it’s good to finally talk with someone about Jackson.”

Derek nods, “So what exactly did he do that made you decide to end it?”

Stiles swallows hard, “I don’t think … okay … I mean there were a lot of things, and every time we had … every time after we had sex he acted like I was … disgusting for doing that with him. Oh my god, when I talk about it now I don’t even understand why I ever went back!”

Derek can’t help himself, he lays his hand on Stiles arm and presses reassuringly, “It’s not your fault, it’s hard to quit something like that … I know a thing or two about that.”  
Without a conscious decision from Derek his thumb starts to stroke circles into Stiles’s arm.

Stiles gives him a curious look, “This is about your ex-girlfriend isn’t it?”

Derek just wants to pull his hand away irritated, when Stiles reaches out and lays his own hand over his.

Stiles, “I am sorry, I know that’s none of my business.”

Derek looks at their connected hands; he feels the warmth of Stiles’s hand seep through him.

Derek, “Yes it is about her, she was quite a bit older than me, she … she knew what to do to get a young man’s attention, I … I didn’t break up with her actually before … before it happened. I just … I told her that my family wasn’t a big fan of hers and that they told me that I should break it of. But I didn’t actually plan to do that, not before … it happened.”

Stiles slowly stroking Derek’s hand, “Wow, that’s heavy, I am sorry for you! She was obviously really cuckoo, but you couldn’t have known that!”

Derek, “I could have if I had tried to look past my libido.”

Stiles grins, “Yeah because that is so damn easy to do with sixteen.”

Derek has to smile too.

But his smile falls suddenly when he sees the way Stiles looks at him, this can’t happen, he won’t do what Kate did to him!

Derek takes his hand away and concentrates on the road relieved that the traffic finally starts moving again.

When they are in front of Stiles’s flat, Stiles smiles at Derek and asks, “Do you want to come up, I could defrost some lasagne?”

Derek shakes his head and says seriously, “Stiles, I am sorry if I … if you got the impression that there is something between us. I am your professor and I am, like your father told you already, quite a bit older than you, and I am sorry but there is no chance for anything to happen between us.”

He sees the exact moment Stiles gets what he is saying, he sees how his face falls, and he has a hard time not to reach over and hug Stiles or kiss all his hurt away. But he won’t do that, Stiles is a young bright boy who will have his pick of lovers and doesn’t need a stupid crush on his professor to hold him back.

Stiles gets out of the car with a final ‘goodbye and see you in class’.  
Suddenly the quiet in Derek’s car seems to be weirdly crushing.

\---Stiles’s POV---

Fuck Derek Hale! That’s the motto of the evening and despite the fact that neither Isaac nor Scott know why he was so determined to visit Joey’s tonight they totally supported him and didn’t have to be convinced to come with him, good friends that they are.  
Sitting at the bar, they are all drinking their beer; thanks to Danny’s still impeccable fake IDs.

Scott is the only one of them who is very obviously looking at the other guys in the bar. He doesn’t really get the concept of subtlety.

Stiles, “Could you please cut it out, they will all think that you are interested if you keep staring!”

Scott, “I am just looking! So is there anyone here any of you could be interested in?”  
Isaac roles his eyes, “Scott, we can just have a nice evening out without checking out every guy in here.”

Scott confused, “But isn’t that the reason we are here?”

Stiles turns his barstool and tries as subtle as possible to check out the crowd, “You are right, there has to be someone here that’s interesting and doesn’t scowl for a living.”

Stiles acts as if he doesn’t see how Isaac and Scott give each other a certain look.

Joey’s is a nice bar, it’s not a club like Jungle was, it’s more like a pub where people sit on different tables or on the bar, the crowd is not old, but Stiles is pretty sure that they are one of the younger ones in here.

On the other end of the bar he sees a nice looking guy, who is talking to his friend, Stiles just tries to decide if he should get up and introduce himself when he catches a glimpse of the guy’s trousers, and together with his black-framed glasses it’s pretty obvious that he is a hipster. Not something Stiles is really into.

“Not your type?”, Peter’s voice surprises Stiles.

He looks up at the older man and has to smile, he knows that he shouldn’t flirt with him, but Peter always looks so appreciating at him, it just feels good.

Stiles smiles up at him, “Look at the glasses! I don’t think me asking him how much he paid to look like he wears second hand would be appreciated.”

Peter chuckles, “Yeah, no, I don’t see that going over well, can I sit?”

Stiles nods, Scott, who sits next to him and Isaac who sits next to Scott give him a questioning look.

Stiles, “This is Peter, I think I mentioned him, one of the lawyers at the Sheriff’s office.”

Scott nods enthusiastically, “Yeah I remember you said he was…”

He interrupts himself when he gets the dirty look Stiles gives him.

Peter chuckles again, “So how was the drive home with my dear nephew I know he can be quite exhausting at times.”

Stiles blushes a bit, he knows that Scott and Isaac are eyeing him curiously, “It was fine, he is … well … he is just my professor and coincidently also involved in this investigation.”

Scott, “What the hell are you talking about? Which professor, not Hale? And what investigation?”

Stiles turns a bit, “It’s really not important …” Isaac who went pale interrupts him, “It’s about the murders, isn’t it? It’s the ‘Virgin Killer’ again, isn’t it?”

Stiles swallows, and tries to give Isaac a calming look, “I swear it doesn’t concern you!”

Isaac a bit angry now, “It doesn’t concern me? My father is dead because of that shit, and yes he may have deserved it, but still!”

Scott and Stiles stare at Isaac surprised, he normally doesn’t mention his father ever.

Stiles clears his throat, “I am sorry, it’s … yes the FBI thinks it’s the ‘Virgin Killer’ again, and Derek is working with them on the case.”

Isaac stares at Stiles suspiciously, “And what has that to do with you?”

Stiles swallows hard, “Nothing really, I was just there then and so … they had some questions for me.”

Isaac, “That’s not all is it?”

Scott, “But why would you visit Peter with your professor?”

Stiles doesn’t know how to answer he doesn’t want them to worry, but he has no good lie to get out of this.

Peter puts a hand on Stiles’s shoulder and gives him reassuring smile before dropping his hand again. When Stiles looks up, he whispers, “Tell them, they are your friends they should know.”

Stiles questioning, “What do you know about what is going on?”

Peter smiles knowingly at him, “I am not stupid, what reason should my nephew have to drag you along to my questioning than to see if I would react suspiciously. And that only matters if the killer has a connection to you.”

Scott, “What?!”

Isaac, “That’s it, isn’t it? It has always been about you!”

Stiles sinks deeper into his seat, “Yes”

Isaac, “Since when do you know? I mean really know!”

Stiles studies the glass in front of him, “I just realized …I might have thought about it after Lily was murdered.”

Isaac sternly, “And that’s really the first time you thought about it? You have been acting weird since shortly after the first murder and not right away after we heard about it, so don’t say that that’s the reason.”

Stiles, “I … I might have thought that it could be about me when I saw a picture of the first victim, he … he had a bracelet I lost.”

Isaac hisses, “And you still let my father be arrested?!”

Stiles flusters, “It could have been him! I really thought … for a while that it was him!”

Isaac, “How long? How long did you actually think that it was him?”

Stiles swallowing again, “Like a day, maybe two?”

Isaac stands up, “I can’t deal with this anymore, he still was my father, and he is dead because you couldn’t tell the truth? Fuck you Stiles!”

Isaac marches out of the club, Scott jumps up and tells Stiles, “I am going after him, he will calm down, don’t worry, we talk later?”

Stiles nods and hands Scott his car keys, “Sure, take the car, I can get a cab.”  
Scott smiles tentatively and hurries after Isaac.

Wow this day sucks!

Peter says softly, “Scott is right, he will calm down, he will realize that the fact that his father got arrested was the best thing that ever happened to him.”

“But he is right, his father is dead because of me, because I didn’t tell anyone what I knew.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

Stiles hesitates, “I wasn’t sure about it, and the investigation into my father hadn’t been long ago.”

“And again why did you really not tell anyone?”

Stiles looks at Peter suddenly questioningly. Peter knows him really well and Stiles just realizes that he knows nothing about the other man.

“I was scared and … it felt like a secret and I kind of, I don’t know, I thought that if I said it out loud I would suddenly really be the centre of his attention… I was selfish.”

Peter moving a bit closer, their knees bump together now, Stiles isn’t sure how he feels about this, suddenly he has to think about Derek and gets mad, because Derek made it very clear that there is nothing between them.

Peter, “I don’t think anyone could say that it is selfish that you didn’t want to be the obsession of a serial killer.”

Stiles sadly, “I am pretty sure the parents of his victims and Isaac would disagree.”

Peter whispers very close to Stiles, “I wouldn’t, you are special, you are worth more than everyone of them!”

Stiles recoils suddenly and stands up, hurriedly he says, “It was nice meeting you tonight, I think I have to go.”

Stiles doesn’t wait for a good bye from Peter, he rushes out quickly, he doesn’t realize that he doesn’t have any cash with him before he is out.  
But it’s not worth going back in where they have a cash machine, he can walk home it’s not that far. And maybe by the time he is home he will have convinced himself that he didn’t flirt with a serial killer today.


	6. Chapter 6

\---Derek’s POV---

The sun is shining bright it’s almost blinding Derek as he walks to the crime scene he has been called to, officers are standing around in front of a burnt-out building that Derek seems to remember vaguely. Silently someone leads him to the body. It is covered by a white sheet, Derek kneels down and pulls it back, he can see the carvings on the body, he can’t make out a distinct pattern it just seems like angry stabbing that cover the torso, he looks over to the head and jolts back quickly, in the distant he hears Peter’s hollow laugh and now he can smell burnt flesh.

Derek wakes trenched in sweat, it takes him a few minutes to calm his breath. He knows this dream, he dreams almost every night about his burnt-out home, about his dead family, but the body, Stiles’s body that was new.

\---Stiles’s POV---

Scott’s affirmation that he will talk to Isaac, doesn’t lessen the pressure in Stiles’s stomach that only built after the angry glance Isaac gave him over breakfast.  
They are friends have been for a while, and Stiles never wants to hurt his friends, but he realized long ago that what he did when the Virgin Killer appeared in Beacon Hills was wrong. That him keeping all these secrets was wrong and that Isaac’s father and a lot of innocent people had to pay for it in the end.

And if he doesn’t want to repeat his past mistakes, he needs to tell Derek about his meeting with Peter, Stiles is afraid of that, he doesn’t want to seem paranoid, and he doesn’t want to initiate a conversation with Derek after the rebuff from last time. Still he will do it, after Forensic Psychology, but that is in an hour, now Stiles should go to his English Literature class, instead he decided he would right some wrongs and is entering Digital Photography.

Matt is sitting in the back row scribbling something in his notebook. The lesson hasn’t started yet.

Stiles tries not to stick out and sits down next to Matt, he clears his throat to get his attention.

Matt looks up and his eyes widen in surprise.

Stiles moves in his seat, he isn’t completely sure what he should say now that he is here, but he tries at least. “So, long time no see.”

Matt frowns at him, well that wasn’t Stiles’s best line, by far.

“Okay, so … I have been thinking about our time in Beacon Hills lately and I wanted to apologize, I think I was pretty brisk with you then and … it had nothing to do with you, I was just … preoccupied.”

Matt nods, loosing the frown finally, “You mean preoccupied with Jackson.”

Stiles almost falls of his seat, he whispers, “What the hell! How do you know?”

Matt shrugs, “I am pretty observant, and it wasn’t too hard to see.”

Stiles pales, “You don’t think … no one else knows, do they?”

Matt smiles a bit, which makes his dimples appear, they look cute, but right now Stiles is preoccupied with the fear that his thing with Jackson was more obvious than he thought it was.

“No one knows, don’t worry, like I said I am observant, you could say it’s the photographer’s eye that lets me see things more clearly, but why … why would it be so horrible if people knew?”

“It wouldn’t … well okay it would, I mean you know him, he is the straight poster boy, he would … he wouldn’t be happy if it came out. And he would fault me that’s for sure.”

Matt’s look grows concerned and he grabs Stiles’s upper arm. Stiles doesn’t get what all the people have with grabbing him nowadays, and okay it was great when Derek did it, but this, this is just weird.

“Did he hurt you? Would he hurt you?”

Stiles swallows hard, the realization of the direction this is going to makes him uncomfortable, he really should go, but Matt keeps a firm hold on his arm and stares him down.

“He didn’t … I mean you know how it was, it was nothing more than the normal high-school shit, with throwing people into lockers and stuff, nothing unusual.”

He shouldn’t have said anything, he sees something change in Matt’s eyes, it’s a bit eerie, like a conviction is formed behind this innocent looking exterior.

“He hurt you! I thought he only … he can’t treat you like that! You are special!”

Stiles shrieks back, what do all the people have nowadays saying that? It might have been nice at first, but it is getting on his nerves, because he is all too aware that a certain serial killer also thinks that he is special.

He stands up abruptly and leaves the room, way too late he sneaks into his English Literature class. As he sits down, and Professor Blake gives him a welcoming smile, he rubs his arm. He feels unsure.  
And threatened. When he walked home on Saturday he felt as if someone had followed him, he hadn’t seen anyone, but he had felt it in his bones, he was sure that he had been watched.

 

\---Derek’s POV---

Derek tries to concentrate, he really does, but it’s hard with Stiles sitting alone, with Isaac sitting in the back and giving Stiles mean glances, with Stiles jittery and slightly pale. The whole picture is wrong, he doesn’t know what happened between Stiles and Isaac but he can guess.

Derek feels relieved when the lesson is finally over and his students start to trickle out.

When he looks up from the material he just put in his bag he sees that Stiles is standing in front of his desk waiting for him, he also sees Isaac’s frown at Stiles, and Jackson’s scowl, before they both venture out of the room with the rest of the students.

“What do you want?”

It’s not nice, Derek knows, but he can’t help it, Stiles makes him feel on edge and he really doesn’t need this right now.

Stiles stutters without getting a word out, Derek grows concerned, because this is unlike Stiles, he might ramble but he is never lost for words.

“Ahem, well, I … I don’t want to bother you.”

Stiles is turning toward the door.

“Stop, tell me what is going on.”

Stiles turns back, he rubs his neck and says quietly, “I don’t … I don’t know what to make of it, and I am probably exaggerating what happened… I was at Joey’s with Scott and Isaac on Saturday and well your uncle was there too.”

Derek stunned, “He was? Is that how Isaac discovered your connection to the ‘Virgin Killer’?”

Stiles confused, “How do you know about that?”

Derek shrugs, “It’s pretty obvious that you had some kind of fight and that would be a logical reason behind it.”

Stiles nods, “You are right, it is, I hope, Scott thinks he will get over it, I don’t know, I am responsible for his father’s death, that is not something you just get over.”

“You are not responsible! And his father was a scumbag. Looking at the frown Isaac gave us before he left my class today I would say that he is already on his way over it and to the point where he tells you that you shouldn’t spend time with me.”

Stiles smiles tentatively, it suits him, it is different than his normal grin, it is more careful, more vulnerable.

“So what did my uncle”, Derek can’t supress the anger in his voice, “want from you?”

Stiles blushes lightly, understandably, Derek has a pretty good idea what his uncle wanted from the boy!

“It was harmless really, he just mentioned you and the investigation in front of Scott and Isaac and I hadn’t told them, and he mentioned that he realizes that I am the centre of the serial killer and he … I was kind of sad when Isaac left and said that I was at fault for the death of so many people and Peter, well, he kind of said that I am more important than all the dead people.”

Derek calms his breath, he has to act professional, just because his uncle frightened Stiles, and is in general a creeper doesn’t make him a murderer, a mantra Derek has already tried to exercise the whole weekend.

“Anything else?”

Stiles looks at his shoes and shrugs his shoulders, “Don’t know.”

“Stiles.”

Stiles looks up and says, “I am probably just paranoid, it’s just when I walked home from Joey’s on Saturday, it felt…”

Derek interrupts him, “You walked all the way to your flat from Joey’s in the middle of the night when you know that a serial killer is after you? Are you stupid?”

Stiles passionately now, “It’s not like he is after me! And what should I have done, I didn’t want to go back in where your creepy uncle was to get some money and I had given my car keys to Scott so he could drive Isaac home.”

“You could have called someone!”

Stiles roles his eyes, “Who? Who should I have called, my two best friends just left, my kind of ex is an asshole, and I don’t tend to have a troop of friends anyway!”

Derek moves closer to Stiles until they stand way too close.

“Call me! Next time something like this happens you call me, this is way too dangerous!”

Stiles hesitates now and Derek can see how his eyes move to Derek’s lips for a moment.

“Don’t you think calling you would be as dangerous?”

Derek huffs, “This is nothing, but even … even if it were, everything is better than you going home alone late at night!”

“Okay”

“Okay?”

“Yes, okay, I … what I wanted to say before you interrupted me so unceremoniously, is that, when I was walking home on Saturday it felt … it probably sounds paranoid, but it felt like someone was following me.”

Derek steps back and leans against his desk.

“It doesn’t sound paranoid, this serial murder has to know a lot about you, you yourself said that no one knew about you and Jackson so it’s only plausible to think that he had to follow you sometimes.”

Stiles jerks a bit as Derek mentioned that no one knew about him and Jackson.

“What aren’t you telling me? Who knew?”

“I didn’t know! I really didn’t, I just, today I decided to talk to Matt” Derek gives him an annoyed look, “Just to say that I was sorry for how I treated him! I thought that was only fair. Well anyway he … he knew about me and Jackson, he said it’s because he is observant, I don’t know he was kind of … intense, when he asked if Jackson ever hurt me, he got … he got a bit weird.”

Oh my god this kid, there are so many things wrong with this picture.

“Stiles, firstly, you don’t go around speaking to suspects in this case! Secondly I will take a closer look at Matt and thirdly”, Derek lowers his voice a bit and says concerned, “did Jackson hurt you? Physically I mean.”

Stiles throws his hands in the air, “What does it matter? There is a serial killer out there, that is fixated on me, this all was years ago, he never did… it was normal stupid high school stuff. You, and everyone else, need to back down, I can take care of myself!”

“What does it matter?! What would you say if you found out that one of your friends got hurt, even if it was a few years back and the person who did it is still out there giving them predatory looks?”

“He doesn’t … well okay he does. Yes I might not be a big fan of that, but … it wasn’t ... I already explained it to you he had reasons, I had reasons, it was stupid and it doesn’t matter anymore.”

Derek sags back against his desk; he just realized something.

“You were in love with him weren’t you? It wasn’t just something that happened.”

Stiles blushes intensely now.

“It did just happen! I didn’t plan it or anything and I wasn’t … I mean I was seventeen, what did I know about … Anyway it doesn’t matter anymore!”

Derek nods, he feels defeated, he doesn’t know why but the fact that Stiles, the bright, energetic, larger than life Stiles was in love with a brick like Jackson has a deflating effect on him.

“You are right it doesn’t matter anymore, thanks for telling me about Saturday and about Matt, I will follow up on it … and the invitation to call me if something’s up or if you need a lift home still stands.”

Stiles nods, smiling tentatively again, “Thanks.”

With that he leaves the room and Derek can’t help but miss his presence, he is going crazy here and the fact that he is now late for his lunch with Laura doesn’t help either.


	7. Chapter 7

\---Derek’s POV---

“So you are late because one of your students needed to talk to you?”

They sit outside the nice French bistro close to Derek’s office, it is pretty busy with students and professors enjoying the autumn sun.  
Meanwhile Laura’s inquisitive look bores into Derek, he hates this tone of hers, when she knows she is onto something.

“Yes, as I said, so how is work going?”

“Oh no, you are not going to distract me from the blush you got when you mentioned your ‘student’.”

“It’s not … what do you mean ‘student’? Stiles is my student!”

Oh damn, and now Laura smiles with triumph in her eyes.

“So Stiles, is it?”

“Laura”

“Come on, you never tell me the interesting stuff. So now you are having an affair with your student? How kinky!”

“No I don’t! And I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t insinuate something like that, I would never use any of my students like that!”

“But you would like to, wouldn’t you?”

“Laura”

“So tell me about this Stiles, I am guessing he is not one of your normal ‘imbecile’ students.”

“Laura”

“Derek”

Derek lets out a long-suffering breath; he knows that he can’t change the subject when Laura is like that.

“It’s really not like that, and yes he is definitely not an imbecile he actually … well he is the most brilliant student I ever had” Laura’s eyes light up at that, “But he isn’t only my student, he is, I can’t tell you the specifics, but he is involved in the case I am currently working on, that’s why we talked.”

“The ‘Virgin Killer’ thing?”

“Laura! You know I can’t talk about that stuff.”

Laura shrugs, “Sure, horrible case though, poor boy for being involved, how is he holding up?”

Derek is pretty sure that it’s a trick question, but then with whom besides his sister can he talk about Stiles?

“He is … he tries. I don’t think he would ever ask for help, he acts as if he isn’t concerned most of the time, but you can see that it is taking its toll out of him and now … he also fought with one of his best friends, I mean they will get it together I am sure, it’s just … I don’t know.”

Derek huffs in frustration, he worries about Stiles, but he isn’t sure what he can do to help without getting too involved.

Laura looks softly at him now.

“Ah Derek, you really like him.”

It wasn’t a question, and Derek doesn’t feel compelled to deny it.

“So what is holding you back? I mean he is gay?” Derek nods, but looks determined at his plate, “And single from what you told so far. So okay he might be your student, but he doesn’t have to be, I know you transferred a student from your course last semester because he annoyed you so you could do it for him too.”

“It’s not that easy! And he is brilliant, why should I deny him the opportunity just because… and he is nineteen for gods sake, that’s way too young!”

He can feel Laura’s gaze on him and when he looks up he sees that Laura is giving him her serious look.

“Derek, how long has it been since you met someone you liked, even remotely? And the way you look when you talk about him, it has been long … no I am not even sure if I have ever seen you like this, so what the hell is holding you back, and I really don’t care about the age thing, and if he likes you, you should give him the opportunity to decide if he wants to change courses or not.”

“Laura, I don’t even know … he might have flirted with me a bit, but that could mean anything, and anyway I am not … I am not Kate I won’t use someone like that.”

Laura looks aghast at him.

“Derek, you could never be Kate, you would never … you wouldn’t even now how to be like her, how to do something like her! How can you even compare yourself to her?”

Derek gives Laura the most serious glare he has and says, “Laura I said I won’t do this, accept it, let’s please talk about something else.”

“Okay, okay, but just as a finishing thought maybe you should talk with someone about what happened then, a friend or a professional, just, you never talk about her. But anyway, so Anthony asked me to marry him.”

Derek blinks a few times.

“What?”

“Well, it’s going well and the living together thing works great so, I said yes, don’t plan anything for May the 15th.”

“You have a date?”

“Well, yes …”

Derek doesn’t get the rest because he can hear Stiles voice from behind him.

“I am in front of the French Bistro now … no, I won’t go back and talk to Isaac, he needs his time … yes I realize that I am acting like a coward, … so do you want to let me get something to eat now or not … Lydia! That’s just, well disturbing that you think about stuff like that … oh! No nothing.”

As Derek looks up he sees that Stiles just saw him, he continues talking into his phone, Laura is ogling Derek and Stiles now with interest.

“It’s nothing! … Oh my god how do you know these things? Yes, yes he … I have to hang up now, I’ll call you back later!”

With a shy smile Stiles walks up to them and says, “Hi”.

He gives Laura a curious and slightly jealous once over.

Laura grins from ear to ear and says, “You must be Stiles! I am Laura, Derek’s sister.”

Derek can see how the slight frown that formed on Stiles’s face relaxes when Laura mentions that she is his sister.

Stiles gives her a more natural smile.

“Yes I am, how do you know? Anyway I don’t want to disrupt your lunch I am just getting one of those delicious quiches to go.”

Laura pulls out a chair and gestures Stiles to sit.

“Oh no, you have to stay, I haven’t gotten any chance to question someone about Derek’s teaching skills yet!”

Derek pales a bit. Stiles’s grin falls after looking at Derek.

“No, it’s fine, I really should get going, studying and stuff, he is a brilliant teacher, don’t worry.”

With that Stiles turns and walks to the counter inside the bistro. Derek looks after him and he can’t help feeling something twist into knots after seeing Stiles’s face fall.

“Wow you are really into him.”

“Laura”

“Yeah, yeah I will leave it, just, he seems nice, I wouldn’t mind if you brought him as your date to my wedding.” Derek shoots her a look, “Just saying, you know I just want you to be happy. Anyway, so I thought we should all have dinner this weekend you, me and Anthony, because he is still a bit scared of you, you know?”

Derek nods, still following Stiles’s every move from the corner of his eye.

\---Stiles’s POV---

Stiles is walking up and down his room, it’s Monday evening, and if they don’t find a body by tomorrow morning it would be a first in four weeks.

Stiles knows that a police car is standing in front of his flat, as McCall said ‘just as a security measure’. Stiles isn’t too naïve to realize that it is also there to keep an eye on him as he is a suspect in this case.

But it’s not really the police car that has Stiles rallied up; it’s the prospect of another death or the prospect of no new body which would implicate him even further. No matter what happens the ‘Virgin Killer’ wins. Stiles is frustrated beyond reasoning and if he is honest he is also scared.

Scott is at Kira’s ‘studying’ and Isaac decided to over at his friend’s place. Stiles understands him, he still feels a bit left alone right now though. He looks at his phone, he should call someone, Derek was right he should have people he could call. But Lydia would only want to discuss Derek again, and Stiles would like to bury the feelings he has for his professor deep inside him.

Stiles is frustrated. He jerks when his phone vibrates in his hand, it’s a text message from Jackson again ‘So blowing our prof now?’

Stiles looks at the message for a moment furious before he decides to just fuck it, no one else is here for him so why not. He texts back ‘If you are so interested in my private life then why not just come over, Flat 23, 62 Kelton Av.’

He knows Jackson well enough to not expect an answer either he will show up or not. Stiles decides to finally get some writing done and sits down in front of his laptop to contemplate the possibilities of detecting lies for his Forensic Psychology essay.

Half an hour later the pounding on his door pulls him out of his thought process. Slightly grumpy he goes to open the door for Jackson he knows that knock well enough.

Jackson just gives him a furious look then takes his head in his hands and plants an energetic kiss on his lips, with his foot Stiles closes the door, before Jackson presses him against the next wall. It is like it always was, angry, on the verge of painful, and still hot as hell. Just for a moment Stiles lets his body go with the flow, presses himself against Jackson and returning the kiss.

After a minute or five, Stiles stems his hands between them and pushes Jackson back. Jackson gives him a furious look and Stiles just walks over into the kitchen turning on the kettle.

“Tea, coffee, we might also have orange juice?”

Jackson settles on the other side of their kitchen counter shooting Stiles an annoyed glance.

“Stiles”

“So nothing? I will get a cup of tea, I found it relaxes me more than coffee, we don’t have any alcohol at the moment, not that I am a fan of drinking during the week.”

“Stiles!”

Stiles gets his tea and puts a glass of water in front of Jackson before he settles on the opposite side of him.

“Wow and there I was thinking that going to university would increase your vocabulary.”

“I could punch you right now.”

Stiles smiles sadly at that.

“You know in the last days quite a few people mentioned that that attitude of yours might be a serious problem.”

Jackson pales a bit.

“Who knows?”

“Don’t worry, no one of … of significance to you, no one who will tell anyway.”

“So is that why you asked me here, to torment me with the knowledge that some of your little friends know about us?”

“They don’t … it doesn’t matter, you are the one who keeps texting me.”

Jackson shrugs, “Sometimes I am bored.”

Stiles gives him a disbelieving look. “I am also bored sometimes, weirdly enough I don’t picture you blowing anyone when I am.”

Jackson says angry again, “What do you want to say with that? Do you think you mean anything to me? Because you are not, you are just…” he goes silent.

Stiles heated now, “What, I am just what? Tell me again how I am nothing to you, because I would be fine if you stopped texting me and stopped looking at me like I am yours. But if you can’t then you can’t keep on telling me that I am less than dirt to you!”

Jackson swallows taking the glass of water in his hands. He is silent for a moment before he says, “I should go, it was a mistake to come.”

Stiles huffs, “Naturally it was, still you made it in record time, and no I don’t want you to go, I don’t want to be alone right now, but I won’t have sex with you either.”

Jackson gives him a startled look. “Why should I stay if you … ?”

Stiles roles his eyes. “You know you can say it this flat isn’t bugged, you can say have sex, you are gay anyway saying out loud that you want to sleep with a man won’t make you any more so.”

Jackson looks furious know, Stiles interrupts him before he can start his tirade of insults, “Sorry, I know the g word isn’t something we say out loud.”

Stiles is tired now, trying to communicate with Jackson is always tiring.

“You are right you should go.”

“What is going on with you?”

Stiles looks up at Jackson again, confused, Jackson never asks about him.

“What do you mean?”

Jackson shrugs. “You haven’t been your normal energetic self in class today and Isaac wasn’t sitting with you and just now you actually admitted that you wanted me to stay.”

Stiles looks at Jackson stunned, he can’t even think about anything to say to that.

“Has it anything to do with the murders? Is it really the ‘Virgin Killer’ again?”

Stiles has no clue who this person is and where Jackson went.

“Why … How … did you get the idea of a connection to the ‘Virgin Killer’?”

Jackson shrugs again. “Lydia mentioned it.”

“Lydia? You are still talking to Lydia?”

“We skype on weekends, didn’t she tell you? I mean you are one of her best friends nowadays aren’t you?”

Did the world just implode, how the hell didn’t he know that?

“What does, what’s her name again, the blonde cheerleader, your girlfriend, say to that?”

“I haven’t told her, and anyway, she is pretty much replaceable, so I don’t care about her opinion.”

“So still a dick to the people you date.”

“We didn’t date … and it’s not as if she isn’t only with me for publicity, we are not … we are not a really real couple.”

Stiles stunned, “You mean you don’t have … you don’t sleep together?”

Jackson grins wickedly now, “You know you can say it, it’s not a bad word, no we don’t have sex.”

Stiles swallows hard, maybe Jackson isn’t the same brick he had been. Stiles hasn’t planned on liking him when he invited him over, he doesn’t want him to get close again, but when he acts like this, and grins like this it is hard to forget the fact that Stiles hasn’t had sex in over a year.

“So again are the new murders connected to the Virgin Killer?”

Stiles nods, he doesn’t trust his voice at the moment.

“And you are afraid because?”

“I am not … okay I might be, it’s … it’s just a bit freaky being here alone when he seems to kill on Monday nights.”

“So I guess the virgin part isn’t correct if you are afraid?”

Stiles shakes his head. “No, none of the current victims were virgins, and one of the last ones wasn’t either.”

“You have always been way too involved in that case.”

Stiles looks at his tea. “I know”

“So what do you want to do, if sex is of the table?”

Stiles looks up surprised. “You are staying?”

Jackson shrugs. “I don’t have anything better to do.”

Stiles remembers the feelings he had for the other boy in high school now, how his heart would flutter when he saw him. But he also remembers how hurt Derek looked when he realized that Stiles had been in love with Jackson. And the thought of Derek makes him feel guilty, he knows he shouldn’t, he knows he has every right to have someone over, but still Stiles is sure Derek wouldn’t be happy that Jackson is here right now.

“Stiles, still there?”

“Sure, how about watching a movie, we have the last Fast & Furious on DVD.”

Jackson nods. “Yes sounds good.” He looks at his glass of water and adds, “Would sound even better with beer.”

“I will make us some popcorn, you can just pop the DVD in if you like.”

Jackson nods and walks to their TV. Looking at his back Stiles gets that he is still one of the hottest boys Stiles has ever met, and he probably wouldn’t say no to another make out session but … he can’t help miss having someone to lean on, someone who would catch him no matter what. But how can he miss something he never had? Stiles tries to suppress the memory of Derek holding on to him that appears in his mind now.


	8. Chapter 8

\---Stiles’s POV---

“What the hell!”

Stiles jerks from his peaceful sleep, it is still dark outside a watch tells him that it is 2 am, who the hell wakes him at a time like this?

As he looks up he sees that Isaac is looking at him furiously, but why is Isaac in his bedroom? Oh no, Stiles isn’t in his bedroom and he is still fully dressed.

Stiles almost relaxes when he realizes that he fell asleep in front of their living room TV once again, but suddenly the pillow he was just lying on starts to move and he realizes that it’s a body that he used to sleep on. Jackson’s body to by correct, and now he finally gets why Isaac looks so furious.

“Lahey, don’t get yourself into a frenzy we just fell asleep watching a movie.”

Interesting so the weird transformation that turned Jackson into a human is still holding on.

“Stiles what is going on here?”

Stiles finally sits up for real, he can feel the knot in his back, sleeping like this never works for him. 

“I asked him to come over to watch a movie, and that’s what we did.”

Almost the truth.

“Stiles could I please speak with you alone for a minute”, Isaac says in a serious voice.

Jackson roles his eyes, “Don’t worry I’ll leave. Stiles it was surprisingly not horrible, we can do this again.”

Jackson gets up and almost as if as an afterthought he leans down and kisses Stiles quickly.

When he gets up again he smirks at the baffled Stiles and at the still furious Isaac before he leaves there flat.

Isaac is just looking at Stiles, still angry.

“Well, how was your evening?”

“Stiles, what the hell is going on? You are not with Jackson are you? I mean Professor Hale is a bad enough choice, but this asshole really?”

“Nothing is going on. Like I said we just watched a movie, and you saw that we were fully clothed, the kiss was just something to annoy you… and what do you mean Derek is a bad choice, why would he be a bad choice?”

Isaac exhales tired and sits down on their armchair.

“So you are not in love with the idiot anymore?”

Stile squints his eyes. “What do you mean with anymore?”

“Ah come on it was pretty obvious at school, for a while Jackson came up in almost every conversation we had, and even if it was about how horrible it was, your feelings for him were clear. I am sure that Lydia knows too by the way.”

Stiles gaps a bit. “You mean everyone knew, even Scott?”

“Yes even him… but to be honest we didn’t think … that your feelings were reciprocated. Something happened besides the one encounter you told us about, didn’t it?”

Stiles buries his head in his hands. “Yes we had … you could call it an affair for quite a while, I broke it of before our last summer in Beacon Hills.”

“And now?”

Stiles shakes his head slightly, “I don’t know, I mean it’s not like it was, yesterday was the first time we even talked since then, he just texts sometimes. But I normally don’t answer. Yesterday … I just felt a bit lonely so I texted something that I thought would get him to come over.”

“I am sorry, I shouldn’t … I was a bit unfair. I know that you are not responsible for anything that happened. And I didn’t even ask how you are doing with all this. Being a killer’s obsession can’t be easy.”

Stiles chuckles coldly, “No, no it’s not.” He looks at Isaac seriously. “But you haven’t been unfair, I could have done more, and I am so sorry for everything that happened because of me.”

“It’s not your fault. So how was it, talking to Jackson after such a long time?”

Stiles shrugs. “It was weird, he was actually after the first asshole attack passed, almost nice to me.”

“So do you want to be with him again? And don’t mind me, I mean I will never like him, but he just kissed you in front of me and didn’t look horrified because of it, so I guess that’s progress.”

Stiles shakes his head. “No I don’t, he is … I don’t know it feels like a memory of love when I am with him and he is actually nice, but it’s not the real thing, not anymore.”

“Okay, I will celebrate that later, but is that because there is someone else? Someone like … Professor Hale.”

Stiles looks at Isaac inquiring. “Why do you keep referring to him, I mean he is extremely hot, but why do you think there is something?”

Isaac shakes his head a bit disbelievingly. “Stiles, you are not as much a mystery to us as you would like to be. You look at him in a certain way and you also tend to mention him constantly. And … the way he looked at you in class today, he was concerned about you. So do you really want to tell me that there is nothing going on between you two, that you don’t have a crush on him?”

Stiles blushes a bit. “I don’t …okay I might have a bit of a crush on him, but he, I don’t think that it’s reciprocated. It’s probably just the case that makes him worry about me.”

“Sure, just … be careful, he is your professor, it’s not a good idea to get into a relationship like that, and I don’t want to see you being in such an unequal relationship again.”

Stiles smiles a bit. “It’s nice that you’re concerned about me. But don’t worry, there isn’t anything going on and … Derek isn’t like that he would never treat me … he sees me completely differently.”

Isaac asks carefully, “But it is only a crush, nothing more?”

Stiles gets up from the couch. “Isaac don’t worry, nothing’s going on. It’s late I am going to bed now, see you tomorrow at breakfast.”

Isaac nods still looking slightly suspicious as Stiles walks into his room.

\---Derek’s POV---

This is not good, this is so not good.

Derek is leaning over the body that is obviously the newest victim of their serial killer despite the a bit more sloppy handiwork. He tries to keep his professionalism, but it’s hard as he kneels on the wooden floor of a posh two-bedroom apartment that the victim shared with Jackson Whittemore. The fact that Liam’s body leans against the door to Jackson’s room makes the message just so much more obvious.

Derek can hear Jackson discussing something with an officer furiously, but Derek saw how pale the boy was when he arrived at the crime scene. Jackson might be good at hiding behind his bravado, but it’s obvious that he is shaken.

It’s good that Jackson was out tonight, wherever he was, he didn’t want to go into detail before, because Derek has the slight suspicious that Liam wouldn’t be the only victim if Jackson had been home.

“Jackson, are you okay?”

Derek stands abruptly as he hears Stiles’s concerned voice.

As he turns he sees Stiles hugging Jackson. What the hell! Did he miss something here?

Stiles gives Jackson a final pad on the shoulder and tells him, “Talk to the police, tell them that you’ve been at my place, I’ll just have a look, give me a moment.”

Jackson asks with a slightly shaking voice, “Are you sure you want to, it’s … it’s not nice.”

“I know, I have seen it, just a moment.”

And the next thing Stiles does is stare at Derek as he walks up to him. Stiles even has the audacity to blush.

“Hi, didn’t know you were here.”

“That makes two of us, so you and Jackson?”

Stiles shakes his head. “No, we are just … maybe we are going to be friends.”

“Sure, friends.” Derek can’t hold back the sarcasm and frustration that seeps into his tone.

Stiles just wants to say something when his gaze falls onto the body and he starts studying the rune.

Deep in his own thoughts, Stiles says, “Algiz, that’s not too aggressive. Hmm, something like protection, a shield, but…” He pales suddenly and glances quickly back at Jackson then at Derek “The killer wants to protect me from Jackson doesn’t he?”

Derek nods slowly, “It could be interpreted that way, it’s possible that … Jackson was the intended victim.”

“You mean probable.”

Derek nods again.

Stiles swallows heavily. “And all this just because of me.”

Derek moves closer to the boy, lightly he takes Stiles’s wrist and strokes it with his thump. He just can’t help himself and if he does it also because he is slightly pissed about Jackson’s connection to Stiles then he just won’t say that out loud.

“It is not, it is because a serial killer searched for someone he could obsess over and found you. He kills these people, he chooses the victims, it’s not your fault what happens!”

Stiles exhales exhausted. “You are right, I know, it’s just … Jackson was at my place because I texted him. I texted him because I was scared, because I knew the killer would strike again tonight.”

“You … you could have called me.”

Stiles smiles weakly. “I know you don’t like Jackson but I think we can both agree that it was good that I texted him, because I wouldn’t want to feel responsible for his death. And … I … I would have loved to have you over but I don’t think I could have just watched a movie with you.”

Derek stills his thump for a moment, he is breathless, and he feels his heart thundering. He is standing one foot away from a body, two police men are currently looking through the flat behind him and Detective Charles is questioning Jackson not far away and he is standing here having a hard time not to jump the nineteen year old boy next to him.

Stiles whispers, “I am sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

Derek lets go of Stiles wrist and tries to control his voice but can’t stop it from shaking a bit. “Yes you shouldn’t have.”

Stiles turns to look him into the eyes now, he seems surprised by what he sees.

“But I thought …”

Derek interrupts him, “I never said that I didn’t find you … interesting as I can remember I said the opposite, it’s really not that I couldn’t imagine” Derek has to pause for a moment, because he really shouldn’t picture Stiles, his student for god’s sake, like that, “I could and that’s the problem.”

Stiles shakes his head, “No, no that’s not … we really need to talk, but not here, I am going over to Jackson now, he is really frightened. And you, get me before you leave.”

Derek gives Stiles a stern look, “We don’t need to talk, and I am already finished, I am going home now to get at least a few hours sleep and you … you go and be a good ‘friend’.”

Stiles chuckles exhausted, “You … oh my god you are really difficult and I am too tired for this, I will offer my friend! Jackson that he can sleep on our couch. You can question Isaac tomorrow if you don’t believe me. And we so need to talk!”

Derek just wants to counter when Stiles moves closer and whispers into his ear, “Don’t say otherwise, contradicting reality is just immature.”

Derek shivers as Stiles breath graces his ear and neck.

Stiles leans back again and smirks at what he sees.

“See you tomorrow.”

Derek can’t help but watch him as he walks over to Jackson, he can see how a small smile starts to form on Jackson’s face at something that Stiles says quietly, but it falls quickly as Stiles adds something. And Derek can’t stop himself from feeling relieved. He has the slight suspicion that Stiles has him wrapped around his finger already. Derek has no idea how this happened.


	9. Chapter 9

\---Stiles’s POV---

It has been a few days since the newest murder; Jackson keeps talking to him like they are something like friends even in public. The insults are still coming but not in the mean fashion as in the past. He only slept one night at their place after that he moved to some posh hotel.  
Stiles has seen Derek only twice when walking to another class and there hasn’t been a more meaningful exchange than a greeting nod.

As he walks to his Forensic Psychology class, Jackson catches up to him.

“So wanna go out on the weekend?”

They just enter the class and Stiles can only look stunned at Jackson.

“What do you mean?”

Jackson roles his eyes.

“I mean you and me going to a club or to the cinema, having fun and maybe going home together.”

“But … in public? That would … you know people know that I am gay?”

Jackson huffs annoyed.

“Of course I know! So do you want to go out, yes or no?”

Before Stiles can mutter another confused question, Derek interrupts them in a slightly angry tone, “Whittemore, Stilinski, please sit down now, this is not the time for chatting!”

Stiles blushes slightly and walks to his place next to Isaac.

Isaac gives him a questioning look and Stiles just mumbles ‘later’.

During the whole lecture Derek keeps giving him slightly angry looks, Stiles wants to talk to him, but the look he gets when the class is finished makes it clear that now is not the time. Unhappy he slinks out of the class, he jolts when a female voice he doesn’t recognize right away calls out for him.

As he looks up he sees that Laura is standing in front of him with a happy grin. “It’s great that I was able to catch you. You don’t have any plans for Sunday yet do you?” Stiles shakes his head confused. “Good! I am having dinner at my place, 5 pm, that’s the address, don’t worry you don’t need to bring anything and it’s not formal.” She hands him a piece of paper with her address.

Stiles is confused. “But why … why would you want me to come to your dinner?”

Laura grins conspiratorially. “I just got engaged, and my dear fiancé is a bit frightened of Derek, I am sure you can imagine. And we are all having dinner on Sunday and I thought having someone as a buffer there would be a good idea, you agree don’t you?”

Stiles nods and just starts to counter something when Laura interrupts him, “And you wouldn’t deny the future bride this simple request?”

Stiles feels a bit trapped, but he just says, “Okay, so Sunday at 5.”

Laura grins. “Great, see you then.” And she walks past him into Derek’s class.

Stiles has a feeling that Derek doesn’t know about his luck.

\--

At lunch Jackson comes over and sits down next to Stiles ignoring the confused looks from Scott and Isaac.

“So you didn’t answer me yet.”

Jackson looks at Stiles expectantly, to be honest he completely forgot about it after Laura surprised him, he was kind of thinking about what to wear on Sunday.

“Ahem, Jackson, I am sorry, but I don’t think that it would be a good idea.”

Jackson moves closer touching his thigh with his own and looking at him intently. “Why? Don’t you remember how well we fit together?”

Stiles blushes heavily, not only because he is embarrassed but also because he remembers all to well. And part of him would really like to say yes and to see where this could go, but another part remembers how destructive their relationship had been, how bad he had felt about himself through out the time with Jackson. And yes he also thinks about Derek, because he believes there could be something, even if the possibility is very slim at the moment.

“I remember, but still, I don’t think we work together.”

“This is about Professor Hale, isn’t it? I was right you are blowing him!”

Scott furious, “Jackson!”

Stiles sighs slightly, “No I am not, we are … there is nothing going on between Derek and me.”

“I saw you in my flat, how close you stood, how he took your wrist, how you leaned into him, that is not nothing!”

Stiles swallows heavily and avoids the inquiring looks from Scott and Isaac. “It’s not … okay I might … I like him, yes. But that’s all there is to it.”

Jackson growls in frustration. “So I am right he is the reason why you are saying no to us?”

“He isn’t the only reason, mainly it’s because I remember all too clearly how it was and I don’t mean the sex, I mean all the time I felt like crap because of you. And he … I know that I probably don’t have a chance with him, but he never makes me feel like that.”

“I wouldn’t … I am not the same … Okay, text me if you change your mind.”

And Jackson grasps a donut from Stiles plate and gets up. Stiles grips his arm for a moment and says, “We can be friends if you want to.”

Jackson nods, but his face doesn’t loosen his stiff look and he walks over to the people he normally sits with.

Scott looks at Stiles intently, “So you and Jackson? And what the hell is going on with your professor?”

Stiles huffs tired, he doesn’t feel like explaining himself, but he owes Scott an explanation.

Before he can start Isaac says, “Let it go Scott, Stiles is tired, and as you saw he and Jackson aren’t a thing anymore and you heard him he and Derek aren’t either. He will tell us if something important comes up.”

Stiles smiles at Isaac, it’s really good to have him back on his side.

\---Derek’s POV---

Joey’s is a nice bar, Peter had been right. Not that Derek wants to think about his creepy uncle right now. And no he is not looking for Stiles. It’s Saturday night and Derek decided that he needs a distraction that maybe if he gets laid he won’t think about the distracting teen anymore. About his ever moving mouth and his elegant hands. Ah fuck he just can’t get him out of his head!

The barman puts a bottle of beer in front of him, at Derek’s questioning look he says, “From the gentleman over there”, he gestures towards a good looking blonde who is walking towards Derek right now.

Well he doesn’t drink normally, but he is normally also not on the look out for hook-ups so why not. He takes a big sip from the beer and tries to smile towards the stranger that sits down on the chair next to him now.

“Hi, I am Daniel, I am guessing you are the one that normally does the chatting up.”

Well he seems charming enough, Derek just needs to relax a bit then he could have some fun, probably.

“Hi, I am Derek, no I … I am not visiting bars like this normally.”

“I am happy that you did tonight, Derek.”

Derek takes another long sip from his beer to calm his nerves, it doesn’t really work, and the bottle is empty now.

Daniel orders them both two new bottles quickly, and Derek starts to sip again.

“You are really not used to this, are you?”

Derek shakes his head and then elaborates. “I am not so much for hook-ups normally.”

Daniel leans toward him, a bit too close maybe. “So why are you tonight?”

Derek takes another long sip and his beer is empty again, weird he seems to remember drinking one for longer than that, but before he can think too much about it Daniel has ordered him a new one.

“I just needed to distract myself.”

“From what?”

Daniel somehow moved closer and their thighs are touching and Daniel places his hand on Derek’s thigh, rubbing it lightly. Derek feels a weird mixture of aversion and arousal. It’s not as if he was all too innocent, he had had a nice affair with a musician in New Orleans, but they had talked a few times before it had become more and still it had been obvious to them both that it would be a summer fling and nothing more. But now, the feeling of Daniel’s hand is good, and the beer is giving him a nice buzz by now, but he can’t stop wishing the hand would belong to someone else, the fingers touching him would be slender, the voice would be less rough. Damn it.

“From … someone I shouldn’t think about.”

Daniel chuckles lightly. “Ah haven’t we all been there? Straight, in a relationship or both?”

Derek is surprised for a moment as if these two are the only reasons not to be with someone, not that his beer addled brain can really think of the reasons he had before.

“Nothing like that, it would just … it wouldn’t be right.”

“Too young?”

“Yes”

“Legal?”

Derek a bit annoyed now, “Yes!”

Daniel shrugs, “Just asking, don’t really see the problem if he is legal and willing, but you are here so I won’t complain.”

And with that Daniel leans in and Derek knows where this is going and it just doesn’t hold any appeal to him. He jumps up and throws some money for the beers on the counter.

“I am sorry I can’t.”

With that he turns and leaves.

Outside he realizes that he is slightly drunk and driving home wouldn’t be a good idea, he catches a cab and leans back when he is finally inside one. This evening really didn’t go as planned. And he is still rather horny to be honest.

“Where to?” the cabby asks.

And before Derek can think about it he gives him Stiles’s address.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how much are you looking forward to what comes next ;)


	10. Chapter 10

\---Stiles’s POV---

“I don’t get why you don’t find him hot!”

“Scott, my brother, my bff, I know you adore Captain America, but that doesn’t mean I have to be into all this goody-goody thingy.”

They sit together on the couch watching Avengers for the billionth time, talking more than watching; Isaac is out with some friends again.

“Yes I get that, but … don’t you think someone like that would maybe be better for you than I don’t know Jackson or your professor.”

“Very subtle, and as far as I know Captain America is a fictional character so I don’t see us having a future together.”

Scott roles his eyes, which doesn’t really have the annoyed looking effect that he is going for. On Scott almost everything looks just cute.

“I know! I just mean … you know.”

“Yes I know, but I can’t help who I like and Derek is not as bad as you think. He doesn’t scowl half as much when he isn’t lecturing.”

“That really doesn’t sound as comforting as you might think.”

“Scott, come on we have a perfectly fine movie to …”, the knocking on their door interrupts Stiles.

Stiles and Scott look at each other questioning, they aren’t expecting anyone, Stiles shrugs, gets up and opens the door.

In front of it stands Derek, who looks as surprised that he is there as Stiles does.

“Derek? What are you doing here?”

“I don’t know, oh my god, this was a mistake, sorry, I will leave.”

“No, don’t worry come in.” And before Derek can answer Stiles takes him by his arm and drags him in.

Derek still looking baffled nods towards Scott.

“Scott, this is Derek Hale, Derek this is Scott my flatmate and best friend.”

Scott stands to shake Derek’s hand, looking confused, “Nice to meet you, sir.”

Stiles roles his eyes hard and Derek jerks back.

“Oh my god, I really shouldn’t be here.”

“Sure you should. Scott is just being a dipshit, come on we can talk in my room.”

Stiles leads him to his room and pushes him in a bit before turning towards Scott. “Not a word!”

And he gets in his room and closes the door after him.

Derek sat down at his desk chair in the meantime and has his head buried in his hands.

“So you are drunk.”

It’s not a question; it’s an observation.

“I am sorry, I really shouldn’t have come.”

“We had that already, it’s fine, and you are here now. Now the only question is why did you decide to come?”

Derek grunts, “I am drunk I am not liable for my decisions.”

Stiles chuckles lightly, sitting down on his bed. “I think you taught us something different just two weeks ago.”

Derek looks up and at Stiles now. “I … I can’t get you out of my head!”

Stiles blushes slightly. “And why should that be a bad thing?”

“Stiles you know very well why that is a bad thing!”

“I will change courses, I will go to the dean on Monday, he likes me, I am sure there is some other course I can take, and even if not, I do enough already, it won’t hurt me if I have one course less.”

“But that wouldn’t make it any more right, can’t you see that? And anyway you shouldn’t have to change courses, you are brilliant at this, this is what you want to do with your life. You can’t deny that.”

Stiles is a bit taken aback now. “You … How … I don’t know what I want to do with my life! I mean sure I like your lessons very much, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy something else too. I though about taking up Contemporary Art.”

Derek raises an eyebrow. “And you want to tell me that not every one of your essays would be about the insanity of calling a simple black canvas art?”

Stiles chuckles lightly, “Hey you don’t know what I like in Art, maybe Newman is like my secret obsession.”

Derek looks around Stiles’s room for the first time, and Stiles is suddenly very aware that it isn’t particularly clean.

“So I see a vintage poster of Superwoman, a Batman the Dark Knight poster and a poster of a painting by Magritte, yeah no I am sorry I can’t see any evidence of your hidden Newman obsession.”

“Hey but to be real it’s not only stuff like that, it has its interesting topics.”

“And still I think Forensic Psychology is a better fit for you.”

“So you also think that Jackson is a better fit for me? Because that is how this goes.”

Derek almost growls, “What do you want to say with that, that if I am not going out with you, you will go out with that asshole?”

Stiles shrugs, “Maybe”

Derek gets up and close to Stiles leaning down until their faces are only inches apart.

“You aren’t that stupid!”

“No, but just maybe I am that horny.”

Derek has a furious expression on his face.

“Stiles!”

“What? I am just saying it as it is.”

“So you and Jackson are … something?”

Stiles sighs, “You are missing the point. No we are not, because I don’t want to be with him, I have another scowling person in sight.”

Derek lets his gaze drift towards Stiles’s lips, before he backs away and sits down on the desk chair again.

“Maybe you should look for someone that doesn’t scowl at all.”

Stiles smiles at Derek. “We can’t decide who we … like.”

Derek huffs in frustration. “Obviously not.”

Stiles lets himself fall back on his bed, he is frustrated and he doesn’t know what he can say to Derek anymore. He really doesn’t seem like he wants to give it a try.

“So you met my sister the other day, what did you think of her?”

Stiles is a bit surprised by the change of subjects but anything that keeps Derek here a little longer is fine with him.

“She seems nice, if a bit intrusive maybe.”

Stiles doesn’t add that she invited him over for tomorrow. He doesn’t want to give Derek the chance to talk him out of it.

Derek chuckles lightly. “A bit is quite an understatement. She … she mentioned last time we saw each other that maybe I should talk with someone about … about Kate.”

Derek’s voice got tense in the end. Stiles turns his head and sees how vulnerable he looks all of a sudden.

“You mean your girlfriend, who … you know.”

Derek nods slowly, looking determined at the floor.

“If you want to, you can talk to me about her I know quite a bit about falling for the wrong person.”

“I don’t know if I actually was in love with her, it was more an infatuation. The newspapers reported a lot of bullshit, she was actually in her late twenties and not twenty. She … when I met her I was just so baffled that such a beautiful older woman could be interested in me, she used me, as it turned out later she had, even before she met me, some violent fantasies concerning my family. The police never found out why she was so fixated on my family.”

Stiles gets up and walks over to Derek. He puts his hands on the armrests on either side of Derek and leans down.

When Derek finally looks up, Stiles looks him deep in the eyes and says, “You are not her! I am not baffled, no okay it might surprise me a bit that you could be interested in me, but that is not your appeal, the fact that you take me seriously, that you counter me, that you see me more clearly than most people do, that are the reasons why I … like you.”

Derek sighs again, “Stiles, I can’t do this, you can’t expect me to … I still see my burnt-out home when I close my eyes, I wake up every night from nightmares. I still can feel her on my skin, she never left me, god damn it! Even if it weren’t so damn wrong to be with you, you can’t want to be with someone as damaged as me!”

Stiles feels a strong wave of compassion and he just leans down even further and touches Derek’s lips with his own, kissing him slowly and carefully.

Derek hums with a combination of frustration and content.

“Stiles, you shouldn’t.”

As he speaks his lips move against Stiles’s and Stiles takes the opportunity to lean in deeper and opens his mouth a bit.

Derek’s hand shoots up and for a moment Stiles fears that it will push him back but then it lands in his hair and he gets drawn closer to Derek. Despite the uncomfortable position Stiles is in it feels amazing, passionate, careful and with a lot of emotions, that they both can’t express to each other yet.

It is way too soon when Derek pushes him away a bit.

“I should go.”

Stiles smiles sadly down at him. “You won’t change your mind if I say you shouldn’t, will you?”

Derek shakes his head. “No I won’t, I stay by what I said earlier, I won’t drag you down!”

Stiles stands and shakes his head now too. “You wouldn’t! Maybe you don’t know me at all, do you really think you are the only one with nightmares here? My mother died of a long-suffering genetically hereditary decease when I was seven. A serial killer that is obsessed with me started a murder spree in my little hometown when I was sixteen. You know what fuck you! Fuck you for thinking you are the only damaged one here.”

Stiles opens his door and gestures Derek to leave. Derek looks a bit baffled back at him and just wants to say something when Stiles interrupts him and says, “Just go!”

And that is what Derek does; when Stiles hears the door to their flat close he lets himself fall back on his bed.

Scott comes into the room and asks, “Everything okay?”

“Everything is peachy!” Stiles says furiously, apologetic he adds, “I am sorry, just, I need some time to think.”

“Okay, but you know where to find me if you want to talk.”

“Sure, thanks.”

And Scott leaves his room and Stiles can’t help the tears of frustration that stream down his face now. Stupid Derek, stupid insufferable, honourable, stubborn Derek!


	11. Chapter 11

\---Stiles’s POV---

Isaac is looking at Stiles suspiciously while Stiles is standing in front of his bed looking at the three shirts he laid out.

“Are you okay?” Isaac asks carefully.

Stiles huffs frustrated. “You asked me that already, Scott asked me that already, yes I am okay, I am just not sure what to wear.”

“You still haven’t told us where you are planning on going.”

Stiles gives him an annoyed look.

Isaac takes the red Iron Man shirt and hands it to Stiles.

“Take this, not that I think that it matters.”

“Thanks … maybe I shouldn’t go.”

“I don’t really know what the plan is here but you have never been one to keep it safe, so just go and we are here if you need picking up afterwards.”

Stiles hugs Isaac.

“I am so glad to have you as a friend.”

“You really are, and now get on with it, it is almost half past four and I think you said you have to be wherever at five.”

“Oh my god, you are right.”

Isaac gives him a last pad on his shoulder and leaves the room.

Quickly Stiles dresses and leaves, it’s not too far so he thinks he still can be on time, and he will go to Laura’s weird dinner party, no matter how horrible Derek made him feel last night. He will give this one more chance, and if Derek is still a dick tonight, then well Stiles still has Jackson’s number.

\--

It’s a nice house in front of which Stiles is standing now, maybe he should just turn around this can only end in disaster he knows it.

But Laura opens the door, before he can knock and grins at him. “Stiles, there you are! I am glad you could make it.”

She drags him into the house and lets him only go when they are inside. A nice looking dark haired man is standing next to the door.

“This is Anthony, my fiancé, Anthony this is Stiles.” She emphasizes the word Stiles.

Anthony smiles a bit shyly. “Hi, nice to meet you, I am sorry that my fiancée dragged you in whatever this is.”

Stiles likes him immediately.

“Don’t worry I came of my own free will.”

Anthony raises an eyebrow and asks, “Are you sure?”

Before Stiles can answer someone knocks at the door. Stiles goes rigid again.

Laura opens the door for Derek, who hands her a bottle of wine and says, “Let’s get on with this, I have better things to do with my time.”

Laura smiles at her brother. “Polite as always. Come in.” As Derek enters his eyes widen as he sees Stiles, “You know Anthony and I ran into Stiles the other day and invited him too.”

“You didn’t mention…” Derek stammers.

Laura huffs, “Why should I have I knew …” 

Derek interrupts her, “Not you!”

Stiles, “I … there wasn’t really a good opportunity for it.”

Derek comes closer. “No good opportunity? Yesterday when I mentioned my sister that wasn’t a good opportunity to mention this?”

Laura smiles again, “So you spent Saturday together?”

Anthony takes his fiancée’s arm and says calmly, “I think they have something to discuss. We will get the dinner ready, just come when you are finished here.”

With that he drags his still curious fiancée out of the room.

Stiles mutters, “I … okay I just didn’t want you to talk me out of coming.”

“Oh and why should I have done that, because having my student over at my sister’s is just so normal and okay.”

“You know what I can just go, if it’s so much trouble for you to have me here.”

Derek growls in frustration, “Oh no you won’t, my sister would gut me if I ran you out of the house.”

Stiles slightly hurt growls back, “Okay then I will stay. For your sister!”

He turns his back to Derek and walks into the direction Anthony and Laura went. He is hurt and he hates this, he hates feeling like this, if he could he would turn his feelings for Derek just off but obviously he can’t.

 

\---Derek’s POV---

Oh shit, and now he did it again. He has no idea how this all went so wrong, just last week he wanted to keep Stiles safe, wanted to comfort him and now, now he is the reason why Stiles is sad and frustrated.

Derek never wanted to hurt him, but he can’t just keep letting him get closer, that wouldn’t be good for either of them.

Derek walks after Stiles and sits down at the dinning room table next to Stiles opposite of his sister.

Anthony just started to give them all a piece of the casserole that stands in the middle of the table.

Laura, “It’s a kale and cauliflower casserole, delicious I swear.”

Derek gives Stiles a look and the boy raises his eyebrow in answer.

They eat in silence for a while, both Stiles and Derek picking listless at their food.

Laura addressing Stiles now, “So what are you majoring in? I only know that you are taking Derek’s course and that you are brilliant in it.”

Stiles can’t hide the small smile that creeps up on him at that.

“Derek mentioned that I am his best student? I haven’t decided on a major yet to be honest.”

Anthony asks, “In which year are you, not more than second I would guess, I am sure you still have some time to figure it out.”

Laura, “Anthony! Stiles you seem way older than that, but anyway do you have an idea yet, what besides Forensic Psychology are you interested in?”

Derek smiling mischievously, “Didn’t you mention something about Contemporary Art recently?”

Stiles roles his eyes, “Well that is only an option if I quit one of my current courses and I don’t know I think I heard someone tell me that that’s not a good idea.”

“It isn’t, because you don’t want to go there, you want to work in the criminology field and that’s why you should stay in my course.”

“And what if I don’t want to, what if I don’t really care about what I will do with my life after I finish my studies, what if the people I surround myself with are way more important to me, what if my only goal is to be happy right this moment and not think about what I will do in a year or ten?”

After Stiles’s passionate speech it’s suddenly very quiet.

Derek swallows hard, because in a weird sense this nineteen-year-old next to him makes sense.

He asks carefully, “You mean you really don’t think about your future?”

Stiles shrugs, “Maybe a bit sometimes, and yes maybe I thought about becoming a detective one day, but I am not sure, I have fun learning stuff, and I hate seeing corpses, so maybe I will go into a different direction, and I mean that’s … I have never said that out loud but I kind of, I think I wouldn’t mind working in a book store or maybe like owning my own little comic book store. But that’s just… it doesn’t matter right now.”

Derek looks at Stiles in wonder. This kid, so many people would give their left arm for the talent he has and his dream is to own a comic book store. Derek can’t help himself he starts laughing.

Stiles looks at him confused and Laura starts to laugh too now. Anthony looks as confused as Stiles.

Laura gets herself under control first, “Well that is something isn’t it, the great Derek Hale, who spent way too much time focused on his career goals with someone who just wants to be happy and own a comic book store. Who could have seen that coming?”

Derek gets himself together finally and says still slightly chuckling, “Sorry, I swear I am not making fun of your dream it’s just, well I spent every minute after … after my family died, working and studying to get to the position I am in now, and I am not sure if I was ever as naturally talented as you and then you come and you … you are just unique.”

“I am not sure if that is a compliment.”

Laura smiles at Stiles, “It is, Derek never had any patience for people who follow the masses.”

Anthony smiles at them and asks, “So who wants another piece?”

Stiles and Derek say at the same time, “No thanks.”

They look at each other and start to chuckle.

Stiles under his breath, “I am sorry, it was quite good, we are just being silly.”

Derek shakes his head, “Sure, because you eat stuff like this normally, I saw the pizza boxes in your flat and I think you once offered me defrosted lasagne.”

Stiles smiles, “Yeah, student life you know, but when I lived with my father I actually cooked quite healthy most of the time. He has high cholesterol, and I tried to keep it under control.”

Derek lays his hand on Stiles’s and squeezes it, “I am sorry, I didn’t know about your mother, I should have … after seeing how close you were with your father I should have asked.”

Stiles smiles sadly, “It’s fine, you couldn’t have guessed.”

“But I knew about the killings, I was an asshole, I am sorry.”

“Well you were.”

Laura, “Derek isn’t used to having normal interactions with people you have to be very patient with him.”

Derek, “Laura!”

“I am just saying it as it is.”

Stiles smiles, “I like her.”

“Great! That’s all I needed.” Despite what Derek says he smiles at Stiles.

This is nice, Derek has to admit he could get used to this banter with Stiles and his sister.

A knock pulls them out of their comfortable chitchat.

Anthony stands. “I’ll get it.”

A minute later he re-enters accompanied by Peter.

Laura smiles pleased and stands to hug their uncle.

“Peter, it’s great to see you! I thought you said that you had other plans?”

Peter smiles at her. “Well my plans changed, and how could I have missed a dinner like this. It looks like you have very interesting company. Stiles great to see you again.”

Laura looks confused. “You know Stiles?”

Peter now really looks at Stiles and in Derek’s opinion his smile gets a bit creepy. Derek can feel how Stiles tenses next to him, oh yeah Derek remembers that he forgot to tell him something.

Peter sighs, “Come on, now see what you have done Derek, he is afraid of me because you forgot to tell him that I have alibis for most of the murders.”

Laura a bit more stern now, “Again how do you know Stiles and why the hell do you need alibis for murders?”

“Laura, darling, don’t worry, I know Stiles from my work in Beacon Hills he was always hanging around the Sheriff’s office, and he is a really fascinating conversationalist.”

Stiles, “Oh my god I am so sorry! I … it was just an exhausting week, I should have never known that you couldn’t… I am sorry.”

Peter sits down at the end of the table, between Stiles and Anthony.

“Don’t worry, I would never hold something like this against you. You were scared I get that. How are you doing by the way, it must all be awfully hard for you.”

Stiles smiles at Peter, Derek has to hold himself back as not to growl at his uncle.

“It’s … okay, and Derek is a great help.”

“He is now, is he? Well my dear nephew I can fault you for your taste. This time.”

Laura, “Peter!”

Peter, “Well anyway that’s not why we are here, let’s raise our glasses to the soon to be betrothed couple.”

Anthony and Stiles raise their glasses immediately, Laura and Derek exchange a quick look before joining them and Peter.

Peter, “So Anthony, what is your field of profession, I mean not everyone can be a healer like my dear niece.”

“I am an osteopath Peter, I wouldn’t call that a healer.”

Stiles, “Oh that is great, you can fix my back can’t you, I have this knot in my back from when I fell asleep on the couch with Jack… well anyway it hurts.”

Derek growls and Peter chuckles.

Peter, “Oh poor you, falling asleep with your boyfriend on the couch, never good for your back.”

Derek, “Jackson isn’t his boyfriend!”

Peter smiling mischievously, “But he could be couldn’t he?”

Stiles swallows hard, “He isn’t, we just watched a movie.”

Peter leaning closer to Stiles now. “That is really all you did, nothing more, not even a kiss or two?”

Stiles blushes heavily and stutters, “How … how do you …” he turns to Derek, “It wasn’t anything really!”

Derek stands abruptly, the fact that he wants to punch his uncle for just being close, the fact that he feels like vomiting after discovering that Stiles and Jackson kissed, that is all just too much he doesn’t want to get so invested. It never works and in the end it just hurts.

Derek, “It was a lovely dinner Laura, Anthony, I have work to do, see you. Bye Peter, Stiles.”

And he walks out. Decidedly not thinking about how nice it had felt to have Stiles so close and smiling at him.


	12. Chapter 12

\---Stiles’s POV---

It takes Stiles only a second to decide what to do next.

“I am sorry I have to go too. Your home is lovely thanks for the invite.”

And he hurries after Derek.

As soon as he is out he sees Derek opening his car door, he walks quickly towards him and around the car and opens the passenger side door and sits inside before Derek can say anything.

When Derek sits inside too he turns towards Stiles, a scowl on his face, “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I thought you are probably still as hungry as I am and I know this great hot dog place where they have the best curly fries.”

“Stiles.”

“Derek, I won’t leave this car, so you can just drive us to Sonny’s Hot Dogs or I will annoy you on your whole way home. Your choice.”

Derek sighs in resignation and starts driving. They sit in silence and when they are at Sonny’s Stiles waits for Derek to leave the car first. Inside they order and then sit at one of the few empty tables.

“So you wanted to talk?” Derek asks obviously annoyed.

“I didn’t say that, I said I wanted to eat.” Stiles smiles at him.

“Stiles.”

“Why did you almost run out of your sister’s house just now?”

Derek looks at Stiles annoyed, “I think you know why.”

Stiles smiles tired, “Yes I do, but … come on this is just stupid! You don’t want to be with me, but you get jealous that Jackson kissed me?”

Derek huffs in frustration. “I just don’t get it, it’s not … okay I might always be jealous but if you were with someone like Isaac I would get it. But why Jackson?”

“Well, first love and all, anyway it’s not like we are together, he kissed me, twice to be honest and that was it.”

“You really can do so much better than him.”

Stiles gives Derek a significant glance, “I would love to but you don’t let me!”

“That’s not fair!”

“But you lecturing me for being with Jackson is fair? I don’t think so!”

“I know; I am sorry I can’t help myself.”

Their food arrives and they eat in silence, when they are finished Derek says, “I’ll drive you back to your car.”

Stiles nods.

They sit silently while Derek drives them to Laura’s, when they arrive Stiles huffs in frustration.

“You have no idea how much you annoy me right now! If it weren’t for you I would have someone to go home to right now, fuck, if it weren’t for you I probably would have slept with Jackson on Monday. Because the kiss he gave me was fucking brilliant, the heat between us has never been the problem, but no I thought I might have a chance with someone better for me, someone I like right now and not two years ago. But no, all you can do is scowl!”

Stiles is so sick of this all! He is opening the car door when Derek grabs his shoulder and turns him towards him. Stiles can see the fire in Derek’s eyes. And Derek doesn’t hesitate and just crashes his mouth on Stiles’s.

It is passionate and hot as hell. Stiles almost forgets that he has to breath he is so absorbed in this kiss, he can feel it in his whole body. Derek’s hand is cradling Stiles’s neck to draw him close. Stiles’s hands are buried in Derek’s hair. Stiles can’t hold back the moan that escapes him as Derek’s second hand moves from his shoulder over to his back and under his shirt.

When they really need to breath Derek releases him but still holds him close.

“You are not thinking about Jackson’s kisses anymore, are you?”

Stiles is breathing heavily and all he can do is stare at Derek, who leans in again. The kiss is slower, sweeter this time but still as hot.

When they part again, they are both breathing hard.

Derek says in a husky voice, “You should go now.”

“Okay, but what … what does this mean?”

Derek shakes his head slightly, “I don’t know, I still think it’s a bad idea, nothing I said before changed, just … I just can’t bear the thought of you and Jackson.”

“Wow, that is very helpful, and doesn’t give me any clue at all as to what this is. You really should …”, before Stiles can talk himself into a frenzy his phone rings. It’s his father and Stiles knows that he will only worry if he doesn’t pick up right away.

“Hi dad …” next to him Derek growls lowly and bumps his head on his steering wheel, “No I am fine, sorry didn’t hear it before… I am out … with a friend … no, no one you know… Dad! … I call you back later I am in the middle of something … Sure like always and you eat healthy, love you.”

Derek raises his head again and looks at Stiles. “Don’t you see how wrong this is, you wouldn’t even be able to tell your father!”

“Sure I would, and after a bit of arguing he would be happy for me.”

“Stiles, I really don’t believe that he would be.”

“I think he would and I know him better than you.”

“Stiles … you really should go now, let’s catch the ‘Virgin Killer’ and talk about this after. Do you have someone staying with you tomorrow?”

Stiles nods, “Yes Scott and Isaac will be home.”

“Good.”

Stiles opens the car door and turns back one last time, “I don’t think you are doing the right thing here, I think you are just being a coward!”

Stiles leaves the car and doesn’t look back when he gets into his own car.

Stiles really isn’t sure how much longer he can take this roller-coaster ride that is his crush on Derek Hale.

\--

First thing Stiles does Monday morning is going to the dean’s office, because no matter what happens with Derek, Stiles won’t risk Derek’s job for it.

He only has to wait ten minutes before the dean sees him. 

The dean smiles at him, “Stiles! So what is it this time? Another brilliant idea for what to stack our food dispensers with?”

Stiles smiles back. “No I am afraid it’s a bit more trivial this time. I want to change one of my courses and was hoping with your word it wouldn’t be such a complicated affair.”

The dean frowns at him, “You want to change courses? You don’t want to quit Professor Hale’s course, do you?”

Stiles confused now, “Yes but how did you guess?”

The dean leans forward a bit. “Stiles, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I have heard … rumours. If you quit his course now the suspicions will only be fuelled and I won’t come around investigating Professor Hale.”

Stiles swallows hard. “What rumours?”

The dean raises an eyebrow. “Stiles I know you have enough imagination to know that.”

Stiles nods slowly. “Who mentioned them to you?”

“They aren’t true are they? Stiles! You can’t have an affair with your professor apart from risking his career all your academic success would be put in question!”

“Don’t worry, it’s just a stupid rumour nothing more, we just … met apart from uni because I am involved in the case Professor Hale is currently working on.”

The dean relieved, “Good, I wouldn’t want either of you to be tracked through the mud because of something like this. And if you have to know a student brought it to my attention, and no I won’t tell you who.”

“Okay, thanks for informing me.” Stiles stands up shakes the dean’s hand and walks out, deep in thought. He knows that neither Isaac nor Scott would ever tell but Jackson would.

And now Derek got what he wanted, they really can’t be together, because Stiles won’t risk Derek’s career for whatever they have.

\---Derek’s POV---

Derek has read the last sentence of the essay in front of him three times already and he still can’t remember what it is about. It is Monday evening and he feels the looming danger like a tingling in his back.

He knows Stiles is with friends, he knows that a police car is parked in front of their flat, still he has the undeniable desire to be there with him.

And that now when Stiles finally seems to acknowledge that they shouldn’t be anything not even friends. At least that was the vibe Derek got from him today. Stiles has never been so cool towards him.

But it’s good that way. At least that is what Derek tries to tell himself, because it’s just hypocritical to miss the teen now, when he told him off just yesterday. And yes he might have been surprised that Stiles was still in his course, might have been a bit disappointed, but that was also just stupid.

His sister called him yesterday evening and gave him a very long and colourful lecture in behaving not like a brat with people he is into, he tried to deny that he is into Stiles, he really tried, but then late last night lying in his bed when nothing could distract him anymore he could only think about Stiles’s lips, his body pressed against him, his hand in his neck, the bare skin he felt on his back. No Derek can’t deny that he wants the teen, that he also likes him, that he might even have a crush on him, which is stupid, because he is too old for crushes and besides Kate, he never had one. He had short-term relationships, well-calculated ones, with people he knew he could talk to, with people he liked well enough. Not ever has he been with someone that could annoy him so much. That kept his thoughts so preoccupied. Derek is sure he wouldn’t have been able to dedicate so much time for his career if he had.

Derek suddenly jerks back, the thought he just had surprised him because a second one accompanies it, a thought he has never had since his family died. Because in a way keeping Stiles safe, keeping him happy and just spending time with him feels more important to Derek right now than his career.

What a weird thought. Derek decides to let the essays he has to grade just be for today and gets in his bed, despite his confused mind he falls asleep pretty quickly, just on the verge of realizing that the dreams about Stiles kept him from having nightmares for the last two nights.

\--

A few hours later Derek can here something in the hallway, but the noise is gone after a few minutes, so he doesn’t pay it a second thought and just turns and falls back asleep.


	13. Chapter 13

\---Derek’s POV---

The sun hasn’t been up long and Derek is hurrying to get out of the door, he wants to start grading the essays before he has his first lecture.

He realizes that he won’t get any grading done today when he opens the front door. That’s the first thought that runs through his head after the body that was leaning against his door falls backwards. The second one is that this must have been how Stiles felt when he found the body on the front steps of his house.

He dials McCall’s number quickly and has the assurance that they will be with him as fast as possible. He is still standing in his entrance hall looking at the body as in trance.  
And like he has no control over himself he dials another number.

A sleepy Stiles picks up after the third ring. “What’s up? Are you okay?” The second question comes out concerned.

It makes Derek’s heart clench that Stiles automatically thinks that something happened when he calls him. Not that he isn’t right.

“We have a new body.”

“Where?”

Derek hesitates a moment, before he can think of a good answer Stiles says, “Derek? Is it at your place?”

“How did you guess?”

“You wouldn’t call me just for anything and you don’t normally hesitate. Did you know the victim?”

Derek just registered that he didn’t even take a good look at the body, he hasn’t looked at the face or the rune yet.

He tries to calm his breath and kneels down turning the head that rolled to the side a bit.

“Oh, shit.”

“What? Who is it?”

“I… I just met him, Daniel, I don’t know his surname.”

“You called McCall already?”

“Yes.”

“Good, I am on my way, I’ll be there in twenty.”

“Stiles, this is a crime scene you shouldn’t come.”

“I’ll come! And … I have to tell you something anyway … something … I don’t know if it really has to do with the case it’s just a bit eerie.”

Derek grows concerned, “What happened?”

“I’ll tell you when I am there.” With that Stiles hangs up.

And Derek can’t help his growing concern and now as he finally takes a look at the rune he can see that it is Thurisaz but Reversed, he walks back into his flat and picks up one of the books on runes he has there, because contrary to Stiles he doesn’t know all of them by heart. The interpretations he reads confirm what he already thought the killer wants to tell him. The words danger and defencelessness spring out to him. He knows he should feel frightened but he can’t help being glad that he and not Stiles had to begin their morning with a body.

\--

Derek can’t hold his impatience anymore, McCall is talking to Stiles, and it seems a perfectly investigative conversation, Stiles doesn’t even look really annoyed, still, Derek didn’t call him so he could talk to McCall. Okay, Derek should probably not admit to himself why he called him that could only lead to disaster.

Stiles looks over to him now and gives him a small smile, he says something to McCall and then finally walks over to Derek.

“Sorry for that, he had some questions and I wanted to check some of the alibis of the suspects.”

“You remember that you are not a detective?”

Stiles smiles tight, “Yes, but it seems that my life made it necessary for me to investigate. Because, I mean you have to agree, this is the eleventh victim, it has to stop!”

Derek nods, “Of course I agree, you have an idea who it could be, don’t you?”

Stiles nods, “Let’s speak somewhere else.”

Derek leads Stiles to his bedroom, not thinking about the implications.

After closing the door behind him he looks at Stiles who has a cute blush spreading on his face.

Stiles looks around his very clean and functional bedroom.

“Nice but … not very homely…”

Derek has to supress his smile, after seeing Stiles’s room he can see why the teen can’t appreciate his style. To be honest it felt even for Derek a bit claustrophobic the last few nights. But he didn’t have any personal knickknack after their house burned down and he never felt the need to fill his space again, until now.

Derek leans against his door. “You wanted to tell me something?”

Stiles walks over to Derek’s nightstand and looks at the books there avoiding to look at Derek. Stiles turns one of the reference books to read what’s it about.

“Do you only read for work? Don’t you read just for fun?”

Derek exhales, “Stiles … no normally not, you heard my sister I spent the last decade doing everything I could for my career.”

“But…”

Derek interrupts Stiles before he can deflect anymore, “What did you want to tell me?”

Stiles lets himself fall on Derek’s bed now.

“I came home early yesterday, normally I am not home before five on Mondays, but I didn’t have the patience for my Law course so I went straight home after lunch and I mean it’s my flat so naturally I didn’t knock and I really didn’t know… It seems as if Isaac has a boyfriend … Matt to be exact.”

“Oh.”

“Yes, oh, I … I really tried, I tried thinking that it’s a coincidence but I can’t I asked Isaac and some of the things that I was wondering how the killer could have known, Isaac knows most of them, and he told me that he talks with Matt about almost everything. But that Matt wanted to keep their relationship under the radar. It started at the beginning of the semester but they had been friends in school too. I don’t know why I didn’t know any of that. I feel like a bad friend to be honest if I wouldn’t have been so involved in my own shit. And now, how can I tell Isaac that his boyfriend might be a serial killer?”

“You sound pretty convinced that he is the killer.”

“I am, when I saw the look on his face when I talked with him about Jackson I already thought it could be him, when Jackson’s flatmate got murdered right afterwards I tried to think otherwise but now, McCall said that they talked to him last week and that he didn’t have any alibi. I mean … I am not paranoid here, am I?”

Derek shakes his head, “No you are not, it sounds plausible, and if you know a bit more about his family background, let’s just say it doesn’t look very rosy.”

“So you think I am right?”

Derek nods, “Yes I think so, McCall will probably want to go to his flat right away do you … not that you should, but do you want to come with us?”

Stiles gets up immediately, “Yes I need to, I need to know if I am right or not and before I tell Isaac, I need to be sure!”

“I get that, okay let’s go.”

Before Derek can open the door, Stiles stops him and says quietly, “I am sorry. I know how it is to find a body like that, and I am sorry that you got involved and your … friend got murdered because of me.”

Derek puts his hands on Stiles’s shoulders and looks him deep in the eyes.

“I was already involved, I was working on the case even before I knew you were connected to it and now … to be honest I don’t mind having a body on my doorstep as long as it’s not you! And he … he wasn’t a friend. I met him at Joey’s on Saturday.”

“On Saturday? So you two were … what exactly did you do?”

Derek smiles. “Nothing, he ordered me beer and flirted and I kept thinking about you.”

Stiles smiles back. “He couldn’t have been happy about that.”

“He kind of told me that he didn’t get why I am not with you just because I thought you were too young.”

Stiles laughs. “I think I would have liked him.”

“Well right after that he tried to kiss me.”

“Okay so not.”

Derek smiles and he can’t help himself. He leans down and kisses Stiles slowly carefully, not to disrupt the moment they are sharing.

When they part Stiles looks on the floor as if embarrassed.

Derek is confused. “What is it?”

“I … I went to the dean yesterday, there are rumours about us, he told me that if I changed courses now he would have to investigate, because it would look as if we had something going on. I … I never wanted to endanger your career!”

Derek laughs, this is bizarre, how Stiles can make him loose his interest in his career as a professor is beyond him.

“It’s fine, let’s go talk to Matt and then we will see.”

“Okay”

 

\---Stiles’s POV---

Okay it is a bit as Stiles imagined it to be. In his nightmares, in his darkest, worst nightmares he imagined it to be like this.

The small dorm room they are in is covered in pictures, pictures of Stiles beginning when he was sixteen; they are a chronological mess.

Stiles feels an impending panic attack but he suppresses it for now, he is walking past the images of him in school, of him in his room, of him in the woods, of him by the side of his mother’s grave. Of him and Scott, of him and his father and, and these are the worst most intimate ones, of him and Jackson. Of him and Jackson in compromising positions. And it never stops it continues through out university.

McCall looks at Derek with a high torn eyebrow after he sees the picture of Derek and Stiles kissing in Derek’s car.

Stiles feels like vomiting, he jerks as Derek puts a hand on his shoulder.

“I think you need some fresh air.”

Stiles nods, he can’t do more than that. They walk out of the room along the corridor when they see Matt approaching, he hadn’t been in his room but since it’s a university building McCall just decided to search it anyway, and they had all the prove they needed after the janitor opened the door for them.

All Stiles can do is stare at Matt, Matt looks like a deer caught in headlights, but it only takes him a second to turn and start running.

Derek runs after him, his mobile already in his hand.

Stiles is still standing there limp as McCall and one of his officers run past him.

It feels like forever until Derek comes back and leads him out of the dorm with a slight press of his hand against Stiles’s back.

“You didn’t catch him did you?”

Derek shakes his head. “No, but McCall and his officers are still looking, they will catch him soon enough.”

“But what if…”

Derek interrupts him, “He won’t have a chance to do anything! They will catch him, and until they do you are staying with me.”

“Are you sure that is a good idea? What if the dean…”

Derek interrupts him again, “I don’t care, and if I loose my job over this I don’t care either, I just want to make sure that you are safe.”

Stiles looks Derek deep in his eyes now. “You really mean that?”

Derek nods and smiles at him.

“So… so you are giving us a chance?”

Derek smirks now, “Well I won’t risk my job for nothing.”

Stiles smiles back but then grows visibly tired.

“How about just getting something to eat as a start?”

Derek nods, “Good idea, just let me call McCall, I have to do something, as soon as I am finished we will get a late breakfast.”

Stiles nods, “Okay.”

\---Derek’s POV---

Derek enters the dean’s office not concerned with announcing himself.

The dean smiles at him as he looks up from his paper work.

“So what do I owe the pleasure of your presence Professor Hale?” his look grows concerned, “This isn’t about Mister Stilinski is it?

“It is, I want you to transfer him from my course immediately, he expressed an interest in Contemporary Art.”

The dean sighs, “And the reasoning behind this would be?”

“I don’t think that it concerns you, officially I would say that Mister Stilinski realized that he wants to major in something related to Art or Literature and not anything related to my field of profession.”

“And unofficially?”

“Unofficially you should be ready to hear rumours about me and him being together.”

“What if I tell you that I am not ready for that?”

“I love working here, I enjoy being a professor, but if it makes your life easier I can quit, today if you want to.”

The dean chuckles tiredly. “Yes because finding a substitute for you would be so much less work. No stay, just promise me that you didn’t cross the line while he was your student.”

Derek blushes slightly, “We might have kissed, nothing more I guarantee!”

The dean groans. “Couldn’t you just say nothing happened? Have there been witnesses?”

Derek shakes his head, “I didn’t think so at the time, but I am not sure if you know but Stiles was involved in the latest murder case I was working on and the killer has pictures of Stiles and me kissing.”

The dean nods, “Well thank you for telling me now so I can prepare a statement, it should work in our favour that Stiles was the victim of a killer here. When did this kiss happen?”

“On Sunday.”

The dean nods again, “Good, good, so Stiles came right the next day and you the day after, that’s good, I think I can spin this. Now leave I have to deal with this.”

Derek nods, “Thank you.”

“Sure couldn’t just fire one of our most inspiring professors now could I, especially not for being honest?”

\--

“McCall where is Stiles?”

McCall looks around and suddenly a frown appears on his face.

“I think he went to talk to someone on his phone. Charles have you seen Stiles?”

Charles looks around as if Derek or McCall wouldn’t have found him already if it were so easy.

“He went around the corner to talk to someone, he seemed slightly concerned.”

Derek’s concern is growing.

“And no one thought about checking with him, following him? A killer is out there to get him!”

McCall, “Charles trace his phone, Phillips send a picture of Stiles Stilinski to everyone searching for Matt, he is missing.”

Derek, “I am going to his flat, maybe he just went there without telling someone.”

McCall gives him a look, but doesn’t comment on the improbability of it.

It is just the only thing Derek can think of right now. And he has to do something, the fear of not knowing where Stiles is, the fear of anything happening to him is almost killing him.


	14. Chapter 14

\---Stiles’s POV---

“Fifth Floor, Room 52”, Stiles repeats into his phone, while pressing the right button in the elevator, an older lady gives him a curious look but he just ignores her.

“Good, we are looking forward to seeing you.” Stiles can hear the glee in Matt’s voice. He feels like vomiting, as if this day hadn’t been horrible enough already!

His heart is pounding when he finally reaches the right door, his mobile is still pressed to his ear, as Matt instructed.

He hesitates a moment before he knocks on the door, he knows that he probably won’t come out of this alive, but he has to do his best he has to try for…

Matt interrupts his thought process when he swings the door open, a knife in his hand. He grins at Stiles how only the mad can grin.

“You made it! Great, come on in. Give me your phone.”

Stiles hands him his phone and follows Matt into the small hotel room. Matt throws the phone unceremoniously out of the window and positions himself behind the chair Isaac is bound to.

Matt licks his lips, he seems very happy to have Stiles with him now.

“Sit, sit!”

Stiles moves to the bed, the only obvious place to sit and sits down looking warily at Isaac.

“Are you alright?”, he asks his friend, who can’t really answer because of the gag in his mouth.

Isaac looks ashen but nods.

Matt softly strokes over Isaac’s cheek from behind him and says, “Ah you don’t have to worry about him, he is in the best of hands.”

“But now you have me, you can just let him go.”

Matt chuckles, “Sure, because he wouldn’t just run to the police. No for now I am content with him sitting here, if he becomes a nuisance we can still kill him and you can see how marvellous it feels to sacrifice someone for the greater good.”

Isaac’s eyes widen in fear.

Stiles can’t keep his voice even when he asks, “What greater good?”

“To get your attention, to worship you, to scare bad influence away from you! I mean you see how much we worship you don’t you?”

“We?”

Matt frowns angrily, “Why are you asking this stuff, you should know all that, you are… you are impeccable, and it’s all done for you.”

Stiles heart is thundering, he stands up and moves towards Matt, “I understand that, and I am very grateful to you, I very much appreciate your work.”

“What are you doing? I told you to sit!”

“I know, but … I would like to be a bit closer to you, show you my appreciation.”

If he were close maybe he could get the knife out of Matt’s hand, at least it wouldn’t be so close to Isaac’s throat anymore.

Stiles can see how Matt’s eyes start to widen in positive anticipation.

“You have no idea how long I have dreamed about this moment. About finally being able to show you, to talk to you about all I have done for you!”

“Yes and now you can.”

“You saw the pictures didn’t you, did you like it? It felt like we were together when I fell asleep in my room.”

Stiles nods slowly, trying not to think about the lump in his throat, “Yes they were … amazing, it’s great knowing that you were with me every step of the way for the last three years.”

Matt smiles at him. “I knew you’d understand! I have to admit it was hard not to intervene when I saw you with Jackson! I wanted to kill him last week, but well his flatmate was good enough, scared the little shit senseless!”

“Yes you did good. And now come here.”

Matt seems unsure for a moment, “I shouldn’t I should … I was told to …”

Stiles interrupts him, going for a charming smile, he hopes it’s not contorted with fear.

“But haven’t you dreamed about this, about being with me. I have, I have dreamed about being with the one that worships me so much!”

Matt smiles again and finally moves away from Isaac and towards Stiles, the knife unfortunately still clenched in his hand.

“Oh Stiles” he says while tracing his free hand over Stiles’s face, “I have waited so long for this.”

Stiles swallows his disgust and tries to hide his fear, while smiling at Matt.

“Me too.”

And Stiles just goes for it, because they really have no other chance than to disarm Matt.

As his lips meet Matt’s he has to suppress the strong urge to vomit. Matt reciprocates instantly, but still has the knife in his hand pressed against Stiles back now.

Stiles retreats a bit and smiles innocently at Matt.

“Don’t you think we could have more fun if you lost it?”

He looks at the knife determinedly.

Matt is confused for a moment, but when Stiles licks his lips as if signalling what to come he grins again. He just moves to lay the knife down when a “Tz tz tz” startles everyone.

Stiles hadn’t realized that someone new entered the room, but he is weirdly unsurprised when he sees Peter leaning against the doorframe.

“What did I tell you?”

Matt looks slightly afraid. “But we can trust him, he likes our work!”

Peter shakes his head. “Poor boy what would you have done without me. He is playing you, he wanted to get rid of the knife and then he would have tried to overpower you. Isn’t that right my dear?”

Stiles just stares at Peter, he can feel himself getting pale, because if Peter is behind this he doesn’t see them having a chance out, they will die, Peter is too bright to leave witnesses behind.

“Ah I am sorry, I didn’t plan to end it like this, I wanted to play a bit longer, but well Matt mucked up and now we have to finish this quickly.”

Matt looks sad now, “But I didn’t! I had to go after Jackson after what he did to Stiles!”

Peter sighs, “Matt we had that discussion already. Now would you please kill Isaac so we can get on?”

Matt takes a step in Isaac’s direction, Stiles steps in between them.

“No! You can’t kill him, you … you have to kill me first.”

Peter chuckles, “Don’t worry we will come to you, but we have to get rid of the trash first. So Matt, come on we have to move, the police will be here soon enough nothing fancy, just deathly.”

Stiles shivers and just wants to move towards Matt to stop him when Peter comes up behind him a gun pressed against his back and whispers into his ear, “He isn’t worth it, now come on let’s get out of the way.”

As Matt descends his knife into a whimpering Isaac, Stiles can here the sirens in the distance.

“Okay, now let’s go, move.”

Isaac is sacked over and Matt cleans his knife on his shirt.

Peter ushers them out of the room and into the elevator. Stiles is surprised when Peter presses a button for the third floor and not for the ground floor. He tries very hard not to think about Isaac who is either already dead or bleeding out right now.

Peter ushers them out of the elevator and into the room 37, he hangs an ‘Occupied’ hanger on the door handle before closing it. Stiles just realizes that he is wearing gloves. He has this all planned, neither Stiles nor Matt will make it out alive.

The room seems lived in, a suitcase is half unpacked on the floor and the bed is unmade.

“Matt go wash the blood of your hands, I have to talk to Stiles.”

Matt just does as told. And Peter gestures Stiles to sit on the bed. He looks regretful down at him.

“I am really sorry that it went this way. We could have had so much fun. But to be honest the fact that you are in love with my nephew was a bit of a turn-off already. I never got your type, you are brilliant and then you surround yourself with these deeply troubled individuals.”

Stiles finally finds his voice again and almost angry says, “And you don’t?”

Peter smirks, “Ah Matt, that was a coincidence, a very lucky coincidence. You know when you were sixteen and bragged around me with your brilliant mind I was starting to get fascinated and after coming back from New York and some nice experimentation I did there I was bored. So I decided to follow you a bit. Knowing full well that I couldn’t really do something myself. In a small town like Beacon Hills it would have been too easy to detect me. But what happens, I realize that I am not the only one following you and so I strike up a conversation with Matt and recognize what great potential he has.”

“You used him!”

Peter chuckles, “Well I would say I guided him to fulfil his potential, and he did a good job most of the murders where done exactly as I wanted them to be done, the one in Jackson’s flat was an exception.”

“You ordered all of the murders?”

“Well not all, I killed Lily and also the boy on your mother’s cemetery myself. Both a lot of fun to play with.”

“You are sick.”

“Come on, don’t deny that you loved the attention.”

Stiles incredulous now, “Loved the attention? I couldn’t sleep for weeks at a time, I have nightmares that are full of memories, I feel paranoid just taking a shower! No, no I didn’t ‘love’ the attention.”

Matt walks out of the bathroom, he looks hurt.

“But you said…”

Stiles interrupts him, “Yes I said, but can’t you see that this is wrong, that Peter used you for his perverse game, that he will kill us both today!”

Matt looks at Peter questioningly.

Peter sighs, “Matt, I know we love him, but you have to see that he has to die, you and me can start from the beginning find someone who really appreciates us!”

“He will never let you live! You are a liability to him.”

Matt just ignores Stiles.

“You can’t be serious? I can’t kill Stiles!”

Peter walks closer to Matt smirking, “Come on didn’t you fantasize about this too, you can have fun with him not just stab him but mark him like you love to do.”

Stiles swallows heavily, they are all crazy here.


	15. Chapter 15

\---Derek’s POV---

As they enter the hotel room Derek hears a muffled moan, he rushes in past the officers with drawn guns and sees Isaac strapped to a chair hunched over and bleeding. Quickly he takes the blanket from the bed and holds it against the deep wound in Isaac’s chest. 

He removes the gag in Isaac’s mouth and asks, “Where is Stiles?”

Isaac groans and stutters, “I don’t … they … they left with him.”

“They?”

But before Isaac can say another word a medic is by his side, freeing him from the chair and strapping him to a stretcher.

McCall comes to stand besides Derek after looking through the room.

“You know this really doesn’t work with the profile you gave us. You said Matt wasn’t bright enough to pull something so elaborate off and here he is moving out of the hotel room Stiles’s phone let us to right before we arrive.”

“I know, this … something is wrong here, and Stiles was right it’s weird that a teenager should have planned this all, and Matt isn’t a genius. I … I think he has a partner.”

McCall cocks an eyebrow, “And how does that work? Two people equally obsessed with Stiles? I mean I get that you like him but he isn’t that special.”

Derek gives McCall an annoyed look, he is trying to stay calm here, to form the best plan of action, but the worry about Stiles is taking his toll on him.

“I don’t think they are equally obsessed, Matt seems more like the type to play the pawn, he might be obsessed with Stiles but I bet he is also being used by the man behind this.”

“And any clue who that might be, or where they went now?”

Derek has an idea but he really doesn’t want to say it out loud.

An officer approaches McCall. “The cameras show neither Stiles nor Matt leaving the hotel.”

McCall nods, “Well that means they are still inside, start looking through every room!”

McCall looking at Derek, “I still think it would be better if you stayed behind but since I don’t want you wandering off alone, how about you come with me?”

Derek nods, he is worried, because he didn’t think that Matt would really kill Stiles but whoever is behind this is obviously cleaning up now. They have to find them, quick.

\---Stiles’s POV---

Matt, “I won’t do it!”

Peter roles his eyes obviously annoyed.

“Okay, as you wish, give me the knife, I’ll get rid of it for you.”

Matt is just handing his knife over to Peter, how stupid can he be?

Stiles stands up. “No! He wants to kill you! Us both!”

Matt looks confused but Peter already has a hand on the knife and just stabs Matt right in the heart.

“Sorry pal, but your suicide is just the easiest way out of this for me.”

Peter dries the knife on Matt’s bloody shirt. Matt is lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood unmoving. All Stiles can do is stare.

“This is a mess, I really planned it better, I swear, normally everything I do is a lot cleaner but well working with teenagers is messy.”

“You are crazy!”

Peter shrugs, “Crazy always depends on the definition. And after watching my family burn to death, and almost dying myself, well it seemed useless to spend my life following the law when there are so many much more interesting opportunities out there.”

“Opportunities?”

“Oh Stiles, you don’t know how fascinating it is to watch them struggle with death, to have the power to decide who lives or dies. I am sure you could get addicted too and you would for sure make a better assistant than Matt.”

“I would never…”

Peter interrupts him advancing on him with his knife. “Are you sure my dear? Are you sure that you wouldn’t have killed Matt if you could have, wouldn’t kill anyone who threatens your father or your friends? And oh you would love it, you have the untamed potential to be marvellous at this, unfortunately you’ll never find out.”

Stiles is searching his brain for anything to talk about just to keep Peter away from him a bit longer.

“Why the runes?”

“Stiles, you are going to die, there is nothing that will help you now, but I’ll indulge you. You actually mentioned them to me once and I thought what a brilliant idea for marking bodies. I never cared for them personally but I loved the fact that they got under your skin.”

Stiles shudders the certainty that this all was to torture him is disturbing.

The door flies open with a flash and a moment later McCall screams, “Drop the knife and hands in the air!”

Peter drops the knife but faster than Stiles even realizes he has his gun drawn and is standing behind Stiles.

“Now my turn, drop the gun or he is dead.” Peter says in an eerie calm tone.

Derek advances from behind McCall.

“Peter what are you doing?”

“Derek, I think that is clear by now, and in the end you are responsible for me finding my destiny. Your ex is the one that inspired me, watching people die is way more fun if you’re responsible yourself.”

Derek advances a step, “Peter…”

Peter interrupts him, pressing the gun hard into Stiles back, making Stiles wince.

“Not a step more, you are both going to leave the room now.”

“No!”, Stiles croaks.

Peter whispers in Stiles ear, “Don’t act stupid now.”

“I … if I have to die I don’t want to be alone with him.” Stiles looks Derek deep in the eyes, pleading.

Peter seems annoyed now, “Oh my god, I hate this epic romance shit! You should have been mine!”

And he draws the gun from behind Stiles and shoots, McCall shoots at the same moment. McCall’s bullet into Peter’s shoulder throws Peter back a bit and Stiles steps away and towards Derek, who thankfully jumped fast enough and has only a fine blood line running from his right upper arm.

“Are you okay?”

“I am fine, are you…”

Stiles can feel the tears catching up with him, behind him McCall handcuffs Peter, Stiles couldn’t care less right now.

“Is Isaac… is he…”

Derek hugs Stiles and whispers, “He is alive they are treating him right now, he lost a lot of blood, but hopefully …” Derek doesn’t finish the sentence they both know what he wants to say.

McCall nods towards them.

“Go home now, Stiles come in tomorrow to give your statement, and I’ll call your dad and tell him that you’re safe.”

Derek nods and leads Stiles out of the building to his car.

As Stiles sits in Derek’s car he tries to breath he tries to keep his cool.

“We should drive to the hospital, see how Isaac is doing and someone should look at your wound.”

“McCall already called Scott, so Isaac’s not alone, and the bullet just crazed me.”

“Still, I need to be there when … if he wakes up, I need to explain…”

Stiles breath catches in his throat, his vision is shrinking, he feels the pressure on his lounges increasing. His heartbeat is speeding up and the panic attack is taking him full on.

He tries to concentrate on his breathing, breathing in and out slowly, but it’s hard he can still feel the knife Matt pressed to his back, he can still feel the gun Peter pressed to it. For a moment all he can see is Isaac’s bleeding body. And he is responsible for it, Isaac would have never gotten into this mess if it wasn’t for him.

“Stiles, Stiles, just breath, breath with me.”

From a distance he can hear Derek’s voice and he can feel how Derek’s arms wrap around him and embrace him.

He feels Derek’s chest lifting with his calm breath, he tries to synchronize his breath. After what feels like an eternity he is finally able to see clearly again.

He says, a bit hoarse from all the supressed screaming, “Thank you”

“Sure, are you okay?” Derek asks while carefully stroking through Stiles’s hair.

“I will be.”

Derek presses Stiles tight. “Yes you will. McCall texted me just now, the doctors say Isaac will make it.”

Stiles can’t hold his tears anymore and starts to cry.

Derek holds him and whispers, “It’s alright, everything will be okay, you were great.”

Stiles can feel a tear that’s not from him on his head and when he turns he realizes that Derek started crying too.

Stiles chuckles under his tears. “Wow we are a real macho pair.”

“Good then that being macho was never a goal of mine.”

Stiles cocks an eyebrow and pushes one of his fingers in Derek’s biceps, “Are you sure?”

Derek chuckles now too. “Being fit isn’t the same as denying yourself emotions… and no we won’t go there now.”

Stiles smiles at Derek, he is still sad, he is still unimaginably exhausted but he can feel hope now, he can see that his future might not be too bad.

\--

Derek and Stiles sit in the waiting room in the local hospital, Scott just went in to talk to Isaac after he woke up minutes ago.

Stiles is still exhausted, but he feels better after letting it all loose in Derek’s car.

“You know you can go and talk to your uncle, Scott is here and I need to talk to Isaac anyway.”

Derek looks at Stiles as if he is stupid. “I won’t leave you right now, I am not even sure if I will ever be ready to leave you again.”

Stiles looks at him surprised. “But … but don’t you want to talk to Peter?”

“I don’t care about him, he was … he did horrible things and I have the feeling that we will find more bodies in his path, but I don’t want to think about that right now, I want to be close to you to make myself realize that you are really safe once and for all.”

Stiles smiles and leans against Derek.

“I am glad that you are here.”

“That’s good because like I said I am not sure I’ll ever leave.”

Stiles chuckles. “Fine with me”

Stiles feels a bit groggy when Scott wakes him softly. He fell asleep leaning against Derek, not the worst place he ever slept, not the worst place by far.

Scott, “Isaac wants to speak to you.”

Stiles nods, he tries to hide his worry, but the reassuring pad on his shoulder from Derek, makes it clear that he can’t hide from him.

He walks carefully into the room, Isaac looks pale but he smiles at him. Stiles is surprised by that.

They say simultaneously, “I am glad you are okay.”

They chuckle at that and Stiles advances and hugs Isaac lightly.

He has tears in his eyes when he says, “I am so sorry if it weren’t for me… I am so sorry!”

Isaac looking a bit sad now too. “No, this didn’t happen because of you, this happened because … because a lunatic was obsessed with you and I was stupid enough to fall for said lunatic, to get myself played.”

“No! Don’t think that, it could have been me too, he was good at pretending to be normal and Peter was behind it all, and I even had a little crush on that guy when I was sixteen.”

“So you have been into older guys for quite a while?” Isaac asks with a smirk on his face.

“I am guessing Scott mentioned that I am here with Derek?”

Isaac’s expression grows softer, “He did, but even if I was almost bleeding out I heard the fear in Derek’s voice when he asked me about you. He loves you, doesn’t he?”

Stiles blushes slightly, “I … I don’t know, maybe, we will see, we will give it a try.”

Isaac nods, “Good, you deserve someone who cares about you.”

“You too, we will find someone that is worth your time.”

Isaac chuckles lightly, “Ah I might be over that whole relationship thing for a while, maybe I should look up Jackson and just go for the enemies with benefits thing.”

Stiles laughs, “Sure I can give you his number, but he is really high maintenance.”

“Obviously!”

“I’ll let you rest now, Scott and I will stay here alternately so there will always be someone you can call for.”

Isaac smiles at Stiles, “Thanks”

Stiles feels relieved as he walks out of the room and almost into Derek who was standing in front of the door.

Stiles gives him a questioning look. “You don’t have to stay so close!”

Derek shrugs, “Better safe than sorry. Sounded like you two are good.”

Stiles smiles at Derek. “Yes we are.”

“What had you laughing so much?”

“You know you shouldn’t listen in on my conversations! Well anyway Isaac mentioned that he could imagine having a kind of enemies with benefits arrangement with Jackson.”

Derek cocks his eyebrow. “And you would be okay with that?”

“Well sure, Jackson seems nicer nowadays, and Isaac can handle him and I already have the person I want to be with.”

And Stiles leans into Derek giving him a kiss. Derek cradles his neck in his hands and presses him closer. They sink into each other it feels less desperate, less urgent than their past kisses and if possible even more intimidate.

Behind them someone clears his throat loudly.

As they finally part and look at the person, Derek grows stiff and Stiles can’t help the blush from creeping up on him.

“Dad! Great to see you.”

His dad gives him a certain look and then shakes Derek’s hand before hugging Stiles.

“I am glad you are okay, but aren’t there rules against student-professor relationships?”

Derek still a bit pale says, “Yes, but Stiles isn’t my student anymore” at Stiles’s surprised look Derek explains, “When I left you … when I left you alone I went to the dean to clear it with him, he knows everything, it’s fine. I … I didn’t say sorry that I left you yet. I am so… I am sorry!”

Stiles hugs Derek. “It’s fine, I would have left even if you had been there, when Matt called and told me he had Isaac I had to go, you couldn’t have stopped me.”

His father nods, “Yes he would have, he is stubborn and slightly stupid like that.”

Derek nods, “Definitely slightly stupid.”

“Hey! You two are not allowed to work against me.”

His father smiles at Derek. “I think we will have fun. Family dinner on Sunday at six, I expect you to be there.”

Derek nods. “Of course, sir.”

His father shakes his head. “Not sir, I am not that old.”

Stiles chuckles and even Derek can’t suppress his smile.

“Okay, well I’ll just visit Isaac for a moment, you two behave yourself.”

After his dad leaves, Stiles says, “Now you have met my father too, went better than expected.”

“I would have preferred it if I didn’t have my tongue down your throat when he came but other than that it went okay I guess.”

Stiles gives Derek a mischievous look, “We should continue that!”

“Your father could be back any moment.”

Stiles advances at Derek and doesn’t give him a moment to object.

He leans toward him and again they kiss slowly at the beginning but it grows hotter and more urgent with every passing moment until both of them separate themselves before they start doing more than publicly appropriate.

“You are coming home with me tonight aren’t you?” Stiles asks while still catching his breath.

“Don’t you want to come to my place? No flatmates.”

“Mine won’t be home anyway, Scott will take the nightshift by Isaac’s side and well Isaac is here. And your place … there is probably still blood at your door and inside it’s just so bleak, no offence.”

Derek chuckles, “I guess it is, don’t worry you can help me making it more homely.”

Stiles eyes brighten, “I can?”

Derek smiles at him while laying his arm around his shoulders. “I knew from the moment I first met you that you would bring a certain kind of chaos in my life, so yes you can.”

Stiles smiles too and leans back against Derek.

Stiles knows the nightmares aren’t just gone now, he knows that what happened will still follow him for a long time, but right now here with Derek he feels safe and he feels better than he has in a very long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your comments! I really enjoyed reading them.


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